backward

Etymology
From, , equivalent to. Cognate with 🇨🇬.

Adjective

 * 1) Situated toward or at the rear of something.
 * 2) Acting or moving in the direction opposite to that in which someone or something is facing.
 * 3) Acting or moving in the direction opposite to the usual direction of movement.
 * 4)  Acting or moving oppositely to the desired direction of progress.
 * 5) Reversed in order or sequence.
 * 6) Reluctant or unable to advance or act.
 * 7)  Of a culture, country, practice etc., undeveloped or unsophisticated.
 * 8)  Slow to apprehend; having difficulties in learning.
 * 9) Lacking progressive or enlightened thought; outdated.
 * 10) Late or behindhand.
 * 11)  Of a pawn, further behind than pawns of the same colour on adjacent files and unable to be moved forward safely.
 * 12)  On that part of the field behind the batsman's popping crease.
 * 13)  Further behind the batsman's popping crease than something else.
 * 14)  Unwilling; averse; reluctant.
 * 15)  Already past or gone; bygone.
 * 1)  Of a culture, country, practice etc., undeveloped or unsophisticated.
 * 2)  Slow to apprehend; having difficulties in learning.
 * 3) Lacking progressive or enlightened thought; outdated.
 * 4) Late or behindhand.
 * 5)  Of a pawn, further behind than pawns of the same colour on adjacent files and unable to be moved forward safely.
 * 6)  On that part of the field behind the batsman's popping crease.
 * 7)  Further behind the batsman's popping crease than something else.
 * 8)  Unwilling; averse; reluctant.
 * 9)  Already past or gone; bygone.
 * 1) Lacking progressive or enlightened thought; outdated.
 * 2) Late or behindhand.
 * 3)  Of a pawn, further behind than pawns of the same colour on adjacent files and unable to be moved forward safely.
 * 4)  On that part of the field behind the batsman's popping crease.
 * 5)  Further behind the batsman's popping crease than something else.
 * 6)  Unwilling; averse; reluctant.
 * 7)  Already past or gone; bygone.
 * 1)  Of a pawn, further behind than pawns of the same colour on adjacent files and unable to be moved forward safely.
 * 2)  On that part of the field behind the batsman's popping crease.
 * 3)  Further behind the batsman's popping crease than something else.
 * 4)  Unwilling; averse; reluctant.
 * 5)  Already past or gone; bygone.
 * 1)  Further behind the batsman's popping crease than something else.
 * 2)  Unwilling; averse; reluctant.
 * 3)  Already past or gone; bygone.
 * 1)  Already past or gone; bygone.

Usage notes
Backwards is possible as a synonym for most senses, both adjectival and adverbial.
 * Strictly speaking, in British English backward is an adjective and backwards is an adverb:
 * It was a backward move vs He moved backwards
 * In American English, the rule may be reversed, and in written American English, backward is more common for the adverb. This follows the same usage for similar words ending in -ward/-wards and -way/-ways. See also -wise.


 * Only the -ward forms are commonly used in combination with an adjective, e.g.:
 * A backward-facing statue.

Synonyms

 * , ; See also Thesaurus:contrarily
 * , ; See also Thesaurus:back to front
 * , ; See also Thesaurus:back to front

Synonyms

 * ,, , ; see also Thesaurus:obsolete
 * ,, , ; see also Thesaurus:obsolete

Translations

 * Bulgarian:
 * Dutch:, naar achteren
 * Finnish:, taaksepäin suuntautuva;
 * German:, nach hinten,
 * Gothic: 𐌹𐌱𐌿𐌺𐍃
 * Icelandic:
 * Irish: siar, ar gcúl
 * Italian:
 * Jamaican Creole: back
 * Maori: whakamuri
 * Polish:
 * Portuguese: ,
 * Romanian:, spre-napoi, către spate, ,
 * Russian:
 * Turkish:


 * Bulgarian:
 * Catalan: retrògrad
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:
 * Czech:
 * Dutch:
 * Finnish: ,
 * German:
 * Greek:
 * Icelandic:
 * Irish: siar, ar gcúl
 * Italian:
 * Jamaican Creole: backway
 * Malay:
 * Polish: ,
 * Portuguese:
 * Romanian: ,
 * Russian:
 * Spanish:
 * Swedish: ,


 * Bulgarian:
 * Finnish:, ,
 * French:
 * German: ,
 * Italian:
 * Kurdish:
 * Central Kurdish: دواکەوتو
 * Portuguese:
 * Swedish: bakåtsträvande


 * Arabic: مُتَخَلِّف
 * Gulf Arabic: متخلف
 * Bulgarian:
 * Catalan: endarrerit
 * Dutch:
 * Finnish:, ,
 * French:
 * German: rückständig,, ,
 * Greek:
 * Hungarian:
 * Icelandic: vanþróaður
 * Irish: cúlánta, ar gcúl
 * Italian:
 * Kurdish:
 * Central Kurdish: دواکەوتو
 * Malayalam: പിന്നോക്ക
 * Marathi: मागासलेला, मागासलेली, मागासलेले
 * Portuguese: ,
 * Romanian:
 * Russian:
 * Spanish:, , subdesarrollado, tercermundista
 * Swedish:
 * Walloon:


 * Bulgarian:
 * Catalan:, retrògrad, demodé
 * Dutch:
 * Finnish:
 * German:, , rückständig, ,
 * Greek: ,
 * Icelandic: úreltur
 * Irish: fágtha
 * Italian:, fuori moda
 * Polish: ,
 * Portuguese:
 * Spanish:, , , , desactualizado
 * Walloon: ,


 * Danish: bagudrettet
 * Estonian: tahapoole, tagasisuunas
 * Finnish: taaksepäin suunnattu
 * Greek: προς τα πίσω
 * Italian:
 * Maori: whakamuri
 * Russian: ,
 * Spanish:, hacia atrás
 * Swedish: bakåtriktad


 * Danish: bagvendt, omvendt
 * Estonian: peegelpilt
 * Finnish: peilikuva-
 * Greek:
 * Korean:
 * Kurdish:
 * Central Kurdish: پاشەوپاش
 * Maori: komuri
 * Romanian:
 * Spanish:
 * Swedish: ,


 * Danish:, efterbliven
 * Estonian: vanamoodne
 * Finnish:
 * French:
 * Kurdish:
 * Central Kurdish: دواکەوتو
 * Portuguese:
 * Russian: ,
 * Spanish:
 * Swedish: ,


 * Estonian: saamatu
 * Finnish:

Adverb

 * At, near or towards the rear of something.
 * 1) In a direction opposite to that in which someone or something is facing or normally pointing.
 * 2) In a direction opposite to the usual direction of movement.
 * 3)  Oppositely to the desired direction of progress, or from a better to a worse state.
 * 4) In a reversed orientation; back to front.
 * 5) In a reversed order or sequence.
 * 6) Toward or into the past.
 * 7)  In the past.
 * 8) By way of reflection; reflexively.
 * 1) In a reversed orientation; back to front.
 * 2) In a reversed order or sequence.
 * 3) Toward or into the past.
 * 4)  In the past.
 * 5) By way of reflection; reflexively.
 * 1) Toward or into the past.
 * 2)  In the past.
 * 3) By way of reflection; reflexively.
 * 1)  In the past.
 * 2) By way of reflection; reflexively.

Usage notes
See notes under adjective sense.

Translations

 * Bashkir: артҡа
 * Bulgarian:
 * Catalan:
 * Cherokee: ᎠᏏᏂ
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:
 * Czech:, ,
 * Farefare: abilimpoore
 * Finnish: ,
 * French: ,
 * Galician: para atrás, de costas
 * Georgian:
 * German: ,
 * Greek:
 * Hungarian: ,
 * Icelandic:
 * Ingrian: takaperin
 * Irish: ar gcúl
 * Japanese: ,
 * Latin: rūrsum, retrōrsum
 * Malay:
 * Malayalam:
 * Old Church Slavonic: възнакъ
 * Polish: ,
 * Portuguese: para trás
 * Russian: ,
 * Tagalog: patalikod
 * Ukrainian: наза́д
 * Vietnamese: ngược lại


 * Azerbaijani: geri, geriyə, dala, arxaya
 * Catalan: ,
 * Czech: ,
 * Danish: baglæns
 * Dutch:
 * Esperanto: malantaŭen
 * Estonian: tahapoole
 * Finnish:
 * Galician: cara atrás
 * German:
 * Greek:
 * Ancient: ὀπίσω
 * Kurdish:
 * Central Kurdish: بەرەودوا
 * Latin: recessim, retrōrsum
 * Lithuanian:
 * Maori: kōmuri
 * Navajo: tʼą́ąjigo
 * Spanish: hacia atrás
 * Swedish:
 * Tocharian B: aṣkār


 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:
 * Czech: pozpátku
 * Danish: bagvendt
 * Estonian: tagurpidi
 * Finnish:, väärinpäin
 * Georgian:
 * German:
 * Greek:
 * Icelandic:
 * Kurdish:
 * Central Kurdish: بەرەودوا
 * Maori: whakatuara
 * Swedish:
 * Thai:


 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:
 * Czech: pozpátku
 * Danish: baglænges
 * Estonian: tagurpidi
 * Finnish:, perä edellä, selkä edellä
 * Georgian:
 * German:
 * Greek:
 * Icelandic:
 * Lithuanian: atbulyn, atbulai
 * Maori: whakatuara
 * Swedish:
 * Thai:

Noun

 * 1) The state behind or past.

Translations

 * Finnish: