backward

adjective
UK: /ˈbækwəd/
US: /ˈbækwərd/

  1. Directed or moving towards the direction behind you.

    1. He took a step backward to get a better view of painting. [ ] [ ]
    2. The car rolled backward down the hill before the driver could react. [ ] [ ]

  2. Having made less progress than is normal or expected.

    1. The student's reading skills are backward compared to classmates. [ ] [ ]
    2. Some people think that society is moving backward in terms of morality. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

rearward retrograde regressive
backward adverb

  1. Towards the direction behind you.

    1. The child ran backward to catch the ball more faster. [ ] [ ]
    2. She leaned backward in her chair, trying to relax for few seconds. [ ] [ ]

  2. In the reverse of the usual or correct way.

    1. He read the sentence backward to check if he heard it correctly. [ ] [ ]
    2. I tried to spell the word backward, but I made a mistake quickly. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "backward" in English means: Directed or moving towards the direction behind you., Having made less progress than is normal or expected..

The phonetic transcription of "backward" is /ˈbækwəd/ in British English and /ˈbækwərd/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "backward": rearward, retrograde, regressive.

Example usage of "backward": "He took a step backward to get a better view of painting.". More examples on the page.