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Definitions

backwater

[bak-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈbækˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /


ADJECTIVE
back country
Synonyms




Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As private credit ascended from a Wall Street backwater to a booming market, the industry found the nation’s insurance companies to be a ready source of capital.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

In 2020, he became sector chief for the El Centro region, a sleepy California stretch considered a backwater because so few immigrants attempt to cross illegally there.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

Her persona is part space alien, part naïf of some Baltic backwater.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025

Olympics, but Southern California — which did not have a Russian Consulate — was considered a backwater in the Cold War spy game.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025

Instead, the ground dissolved at his feet and he fell into a familiar backwater - the Hypnos cabin at Camp Half-Blood.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan




Vocabulary lists containing backwater