Backwards

Definition: Backwards

Backwards

Adverb

1. At or to or toward or the back or rear; "he moved back"; "tripped when he stepped backward"; "she looked rearward out the window of the car".

2. In a manner or order or direction the reverse of normal; "it's easy to get the `i' and the `e' backward in words like `seize' and `siege'"; "the child put her jersey on backward".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "backwards" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1380. (references)

Synonyms: Backwards

Evolution

Adverb: to and fro, up and down, backwards and forwards, hither and yon, seesaw, zigzag, wibble-wabble, in and out, from side to side, like buckets in a well.

Interchange

Adverb: in exchange, vice versa, mutatis mutandis, backwards and forwards, by turns, turn and turn about; each in his turn, everyone in his turn.

Memory

Recognize, recollect, bethink oneself, recall, call up, retrace; look back, trace back, trace backwards; think back, look back upon; review; call upon, recall upon, bring to mind, bring to remembrance; carry one's thoughts back; rake up the past.

Rear

Verb: be behind; adVerb: fall astern; bend backwards; bring up the rear.

Regression

Adverb: back, backwards; reflexively, to the right about; a reculons, a rebours.

Crosswords: Backwards

Only backwards. (Casper; writing credit: Sherri Stoner; Deanna Oliver)

It's beer spelled backwards. (Kalifornia; writing credit: Tim Metcalfe. Starring Brad Pitt as Early Grayce, Juliette Lewis as Adele Corners, David Duchovny as Brian Kessler, and Michelle Forbes as Carrie Laughlin.)

Walkin' backwards, huh (Dinosaur; writing credit: Walon Green; Thom Enriquez)

I mean, come on, it looks like they just fell out of bed and put on some baggy pants and take their greasy hair - ew - and cover it up with a backwards cap and we're supposed to swoon (Clueless; writing credit: Amy Heckerling.)

We must move forward not backwards, not to the side, not forwards, but always whirling, whirling, whirling towards freedom (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge)

And the White Knight is talking backwards (White Rabbit; performing artist: Jefferson Airplane)

Master of the mattress, flip and fall backwards (Feels Good; performing artist: Naughty By Nature)

You're here you goin' out the world backwards like you did when you ("Respect Yourself"; performing artist: The Staple Singers)

Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 a piece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards. (references; author: unknown)

Backwards Box (1967)

Running Away Backwards (1964)

Walk Backwards (2001)

Backwards Birth of a Nation (2000)

Far Corners Backwards Looks (1999)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Backwards into Battle: A Tail Gunner's Journey in World War II (reference)

• Cat Spelled Backwards Doesn't Spell God (reference)

• Girl Walking Backwards (reference)

• Raining Backwards (reference)

• Skating Backwards (Michelle Kwan Paperback Series, 3) (reference)

  (more book examples)

Music

• Completion Backwards Principle (reference)

• Pop Spelled Backwards (reference)

• The Complete John Waite, Vol. 1: Falling Backwards (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

The reward for bending over backwards. Credit: Library of Congress.

Lew Alcindor [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar] reaches over backwards to score. Credit: Library of Congress.

Harry Kahne, mental marvel and daredevil from Keiths Theatre, amuses the cross word puzzle fans as he works a puzzle backwards, while being hung from the top of one of Washington's tall office buildings. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

During these bewildering intervals the ship usually sailed backwards.

His hair was wiry and gingerish and brushed backwards from the temples

They had a doll which they turned backwards and forwards upon their knees with many pretty prattlings

While I was under these circumstances, two rats crept up the curtains, and ran smelling backwards and forwards on the bed.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

When bumped from the front or when starting to walk, patients with a backward lean have a tendency to step backwards, which is known as retropulsion. (references)

This type of stroke is often called "beauty-parlor syndrome," which refers to the practice of extending the neck backwards over a sink for hair-washing in beauty parlors. (references)

Business

In terms of market share, Telkom can only go backwards from 100 percent, but the size of the pie will increase substantially. (references)

Economic History

Ireland

The proposed flotation of Aer Lingus has taken a step backwards in 2001, as the industrial relations climate has worsened within the company. (references)

Ireland

However, the British Government decision to hold elections for a negotiating body was seen as a step backwards, and in February 1996 the IRA officially ended its cease-fire with a bomb attack in London that killed two. (references)

Bangladesh

But, with 75.0% of the needed raw materials imported into Bangladesh, the major garment exporters association, with some encouragement from the government, is pushing to develop stronger backwards linkages for its textile industry. (references)

Human Rights

Syria

Former prisoners and detainees report that torture methods include administering electrical shocks; pulling out fingernails; forcing objects into the rectum; beating, sometimes while the victim is suspended from the ceiling; hyperextending the spine; and using a chair that bends backwards to asphyxiate the victim or fracture the victim's spine. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Expressions using "backwards": backwards and forwards ♦ backwards compatibility ♦ backwards compatible ♦ bend backwards ♦ bend over backwards for smb. ♦ fall over backwards ♦ go backwards and forwards ♦ know smth. backwards ♦ lean over backwards ♦ leaning backwards ♦ look backwards ♦ look backwards in time ♦ move backwards ♦ pointing backwards ♦ read backwards ♦ shunt smb. backwards and forwards ♦ step backwards ♦ stroke the cat backwards ♦ tending to slide backwards ♦ walk backwards and forwards. Additional references.

Beginning with "backwards": backwards-compatible, backwards-looking, backwards-slanting.

Ending with "backwards": forwards-and-backwards, stepping-backwards.

Afrikaans

agterwaarts (aback, backward), agteruit (aback, backward), agteroor (aback, back, backward, on one's back). (various references)

Albanian

në drejtim të kundërt (about, contrariwise), mbrapsht (around, astern, awry, back, in reverse, inside out, rearward). (various references)

Arabic 

‏تراجع (back away, back down, back up, blemish, degradation, draw back, drawback, fall back, fall behind, give back, give ground, give the right of way, kick, lose ground, move back, palinode, recede, recess, recession, recoil, regress, regression, renege, retire, retract, retraction, retreat, retreating, retrogression, sell out, stand, take back, turn back, unsay, withdraw), ‏تردد (ambivalence, balance, be in two minds, boggle, crane, demur, difficulty, dither, fainting, falter, flicker, float, fluctuate, fluctuation, hang, haunt, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitate, hesitation, hover, hum and haw, indecision, irresolution, pause, perplexity, puzzle over, reticence, reverberate, scruple, shilly shally, sound, stick, stop, stumble, tergiversation, timidity, vacillate, vacillation, vibrate, vibration, waver, wobble, worry), ‏خلف (after, back, behind, deposit, succeed, successor, supersede, supplant, tiller), ‏الى الوراء (aback, backward, in reverse). (various references)

Bulgarian 

наопаки (awry, contra, contrariwise, criss cross, inside out, topsy turvy, upside down), заднишком (aback). (various references)

Chinese 

落后 (Backward, Trailed, trailing), 逆向 (reverse direction), 逆 (contrary, opposite, to betray, to go against, to oppose, to rebel). (various references)

Czech

dozadu (aback, back, rearward, rearwards). (various references)

Danish

bakke (hill), agterover (astern!, stern first, sternway). (various references)

Dutch

rugwaarts (aback, backward), achterwaarts (aback, backward, retrograde), achteruit (aback, back, backward). (various references)

Esperanto

reen (back), posten, malantaŭen (aback). (various references)

Faeroese

aftur (aback, afresh, again, all over again, anew, back, backward, once more, re-). (various references)

Finnish

kaatua selälleen (fall backwards). (various references)

French

en arrière!, en arrière (back), à rebours, à l'envers, à l'arrière, à la renverse. (various references)

Frisian

tebek (aback, backward), efteroer (aback, back, backward, on one's back), efterút. (various references)

German

rueckwaerts (astern!, stern first, sternway), rückwärts (aback, afterwards, at the back, backlink, backward, behind, rearwards, regress). (various references)

Greek 

ανάποδα (about, back to front, by contraries, topsy turvy, upside down). (various references)

Hebrew 

למפרע (ahead, in advance, retroactively, retrospectively), אחורה (aback, back part of shoe), אחורנית (aback, abaft, astern, in reverse, rearwards), בחזרה (back). (various references)

Hungarian

visszafelé (aback, contrariwise). (various references)

Icelandic

aftur á bak (aback, backward). (various references)

Irish

siar (backward), ar gcúl (backward). (various references)

Italian

indietro (aback, back, backward, behind, fro), all'indietro (aback), a rovescio (aback, back, backward, on one's back), supino (aback, back, backward, on one's back, supine). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

後ろ前 . (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

うしろまえ. (various references)

Korean 

뒤에 (Aft, after, Backward, Behind). (various references)

Manx

gour y drommey, er-dreeym, er-ash (ago, back, rearward, returned), cooyl-y-choshey. (various references)

Norwegian

bakvendt, baklengs, tilbake (aback, back, backward). (various references)

Pig Latin

ackwardsbay.(various references)

Portuguese

para trás (aback, astern, back, backward). (various references)

Romanian

pe spate (backward), invers (about, backward, by contraries, contrarily, contrariwise, converse, conversely, counter, inverse, inversely, opposed, opposite, reciprocally, reverse, topsy turvy, vice versa), îndãrãt (back, backward, behind), înapoi (aback, astern, back, backward), în urmã (aback, abaft, after, ago, back, backward, behind, behindhand, in arrear of, slow). (various references)

Russian 

назад (aback, astern, back, backward, rearward, rearwards). (various references)

Scottish

ais (back, backwards : rach air t'ais, go). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

unazad (back), natrag (back, backward, behind), natraške (backward). (various references)

Spanish

hacia atrás (aback, backward, rearward, rearwards), de espaldas (aback, back, back to back, backward, on one's back), al revés (backward, on the contrary, reverse, reversed, the other way around, upside down, upside-down, vice-versa, wrong). (various references)

Swedish

bakåt (aback, back, backward, in reverse, kungsljus), tillbaka (back), baklänges (reverse, rewerse). (various references)

Tagalog

pauróng (aback, backward). (various references)

Turkish

tersine (against the grain, athwart, backward, contrarily, contrariwise, conversely, crisscross, inversely, over, per contra, retro-), ters olarak (against, inversely, invertedly, testily, wrong, wrongly), ters (acrimonious, adverse, agley, Amiss, awkward, awry, backward, bad tempered, bloody minded, churlish, contradictory, contrary, converse, counter, crabbed, cranky, curt, cussed, dour, face down, fractious, fretful, Froward, frowning, grumpy, ill natured, illegitimate, indecorous, inimical, inverse, inversely, inverted, mis-, negative, off, opposing, opposite, perverse, retro-, reverse, snuffy, sub-, unfavorable, unfavourable, upside down, versed, wayward, wrong, wrongly), geriye doğru (backward, downward, rearward, rearwards, retro-), geriye (aback, astern, back, backward, behind, re-, retro-), geri geri (backward), geri (aback, back, backward, behind, hind, posterior, re-, rear, rearward, rest, retro-, reverse, reversing, slow), geríye doğru (aback, backward), geçmişe (back, backward, retro-). (various references)

Ukrainian

у зворотному напрямі (about, backward, inversely), навпаки (au contraire, backward, contra, contrariwise, conversely, in reverse, on the contrary, over against, topsy turvy, vice versa), назад (aback, astern, back, backward, counter, hark back, keep back, rearward, rearwards). (various references)

Vietnamese 

tới lui. (various references)

Welsh

yn wysg ei gefn, llwr ei gefn. (various references)

retro, retrorsum, rursus. (various references)

apâxedhraêibyô. (various references)

Misspellings

"Backwards" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: ackward, auckward, back'ards, backbars, blackwards, Bockwurst, buckwald. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: drawbacks.

-1 letter: backward, drawback.

-2 letters: backsaw.

-3 letters: awards, kabars, scarab, wracks.

-4 letters: aback, araks, award, backs, bards, barks, bawds, brads, braws, carbs, cards, carks, crabs, craws, darbs, darks, dawks, drabs, draws, kabar, kbars, racks, sabra, sacra, sward, wacks, wards, warks, wrack.

-5 letters: abas, arak, arbs, arcs, arks, baas, back, bads, bard, bark, bars, bask, bawd, brad, bras.

+3 letters: backwardness.

+5 letters: backwardnesses.