- 1[only before noun] directed or moving toward the back She strode past him without a backward glance.
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- 2moving in a direction that means that no progress is being made synonym retrograde She felt that going back to live in her hometown would be a backward step.
- 3having made less progress than normal; developing slowly a backward part of the country, with no paved roads and no electricity a backward child compare forward
Check pronunciation: backward