as in countryside
a rural region that forms the edge of the settled or developed part of a country
a distant backwater that didn't even have electricity at that time
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backwater
His fiction is set all over the place—genteel backwaters like Miami, Hollywood, and Atlantic City, with excursions as far afield as the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Israel.
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
At this flood stage, expect significant flooding in East End, California, and New Richmond in Ohio, with backwater floods in Silver Grove, KY, and riverfront buildings in Aurora, Indiana.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Apr. 2025
Having set up this backwater office where nothing ever happens and then bring death to the door was a brilliant stroke.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 17 June 2025
In 2001, Michael Dorrell volunteered to move from the Sydney headquarters of Australian investment bank Macquarie to a backwater in its infrastructure investing specialty: the United States of America.
—Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
At this flood stage, expect significant flooding in East End, California, and New Richmond in Ohio, with backwater floods in Silver Grove, KY, and riverfront buildings in Aurora, Indiana.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Apr. 2025
Having set up this backwater office where nothing ever happens and then bring death to the door was a brilliant stroke.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 17 June 2025
In 2001, Michael Dorrell volunteered to move from the Sydney headquarters of Australian investment bank Macquarie to a backwater in its infrastructure investing specialty: the United States of America.
—Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backwater
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backwater
Noun
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Growing up in the countryside of Jamaica, holistic esthetician and founder of IN GROOV Shani Hillian watched her elders picking herbs from their garden for skin ailments.—
Essence,
Essence,
24 July 2025
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Workers work in a Molfetta countryside in Italy, on October 24, 2024, during the olive harvest.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
24 July 2025
Noun
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Procurement, Deregulation, And Political Pushback The plan calls for updates to federal procurement rules to ensure that frontier models used by the government are free from top-down ideological bias and aligned with principles of free expression.—
Paulo Carvão,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
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Learn About Historic Fort King This U.S. Army frontier fort played an important role in the Second Seminole War when the Seminole fought to protect their native land against American settlers.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
22 July 2025
Noun
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Only 12 original rose bushes remained when Melania oversaw the addition of 200 new ones.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
23 July 2025
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Other combinations are radishes under taller veggies, or planting bush beans around crops that are heavy feeders, which reduces weeds and adds extra nitrogen to the soil.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 July 2025
Noun
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Besides the Cousins' Buechel neighborhood home, Moore and his local crew shot at the former D. Nalley's diner in Old Louisville and Powder Keg Fireworks in Jeffersonville, Indiana, as well as various country roads and a lake in Southern Indiana.—
Kirby Adams,
The Courier-Journal,
22 July 2025
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Both countries can serve distinct U.S. interests — if managed carefully.—
Jack Rosen,
New York Daily News,
21 July 2025
Noun
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One is that working class people from the American hinterlands simply lack the time, resources, and networks to gamble on a vocation with so little security.—
Lee Cole
June 17,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2025
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On the opposite shore of the lake, the Venetian denomination Bardolino DOC extends on the morainic hills of the hinterland.—
Elisabetta Tosi,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Carolina Wilga, a German backpacker, was found alive after spending 12 days missing in the remote outback of Western Australia, according to local authorities.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
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This mismatch in the data between the different antennas caused the blur, so to remove it, the researchers eliminated the signal coming from the outer antennas to favor only the inner part of the telescope, which is spread out over about 2.3 square miles in the Australian outback.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backwater.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backwater. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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