
USAGE NOTE The adverb may be spelled backward or backwards, and these forms are interchangeable: stepped backward; a mirror facing backwards. In Standard English, however, the adjective has no -s: a backward view.
Talk ran backward from the events of the morning—A. Munro, Canadian English 1987
I walked backward to look at her in the sun—E. L. Doctorow, American English 1989
Not knowing where he was, and trying to work his way backwards—R. Cobb, British English 1985.In the fixed expressions bend (or lean) over backwards, backwards and forwards, and to know backwards, backward is only found occasionally outside American English:
He'll bend over backwards to please a client—M. Bail, Australian English 1975
An eclectic collector..., he knows the showrooms backwards.—Financial Times, 1983
The door kept swinging backwards and forwards—Anita Brookner, 1984
From the study above them...came the sound of footsteps moving backwards and forwards across the floor—R. Border, 1991
They move backward and forward between denial and anger and depression, unable to break out of the circle of despair—G. Carmichael, 1991.
He watched her walking away without a backward glance.—R. Sutcliff, 1954
Getting involved with the blind in any way seemed like a backward step—Ved Mehta, 1987.
| backslang, backlog, back-formation | |
| bacterium, bad, badly, bade |
adjective
adverb
In addition to the idiom beginning with backward, also see bend over backward; fall over (backwards); know like a book (backwards and forwards).
Definition: bashful
Antonyms: aggressive, forward, precocious, unshy
adj
Definition: slow in growth
Antonyms: developing, fast, intelligent, smart
adj
Definition: toward the rear
Antonyms: ahead, forward, to the front
adv
Definition: toward the rear
Antonyms: forward
You can lean over backward so far that you fall flat on your face.
— Ben H. Bagdikian
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
A dream of moving backward may mean the dreamer feels he or she is losing ground in some endeavor. Retracing one's steps may indicate that information from the past may be needed to bring about an understanding of a current situation, especially one that has gone wrong.

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - bagvendt, bagud
adv. - bagvendt, bagud
idioms:
Nederlands (Dutch)
achter, achterlijk, achteruit, naar achteren, terughoudend, terug, saai
Français (French)
adj. - en arrière, (fig) rétrograde, arriéré, peu avancé, (Méd) retardé, lent, peu disposé (à faire), hésitant
adv. - en arrière, à la renverse, à contre-courant, à reculons, à rebours, à l'envers, en commençant par la fin, comme sa poche, (fig) en arrière, vers le passé, (fig) de travers, en rétrogradant
idioms:
Deutsch (German)
adj. - zurückgeblieben, rückständig, rückwärts gerichtet
adv. - falsch herum, rückwärts, hintenüber
idioms:
Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - οπίσθιος, προς τα πίσω, καθυστερημένος, προς το χειρότερο, οπισθοδρομικός, υπανάπτυκτος, ανάδρομος
adv. - προς τα πίσω, προς το χειρότερο
idioms:
Italiano (Italian)
arretrato, ritardato mentale, alla rovescia, all'indietro, indietro
idioms:
Português (Portuguese)
adj. - oposto, tímido, atrasado
adv. - para trás, inadvertidamente, retrogradamente, às avessas
idioms:
Русский (Russian)
недоразвитый, отсталый, задом наперед, назад
idioms:
Español (Spanish)
adj. - atrasado, subdesarrollado, retrasado, retardado, al revés, con lo de atrás adelante, hacia atrás, de espaldas, dirigido hacia atrás
adv. - al revés, con lo de atrás adelante, hacia atrás
idioms:
Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - bakåtriktad, bakåtvänd, försagd, efterbliven
adv. - bakåt, baklänges, tillbaka
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
向后的, 返回的, 反向的, 怕羞的, 畏缩的, 落后的, 发展迟缓的, 犹豫的, 向后地, 追溯, 相反地
idioms:
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 向後的, 返回的, 反向的, 怕羞的, 畏縮的, 落後的, 發展遲緩的, 猶豫的
adv. - 向後地, 追溯, 相反地
idioms:
한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 뒤쪽의, 진보가 늦은, 싫어하는
adv. - 뒤쪽에, 거꾸로
日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 後方の, 逆の, 遅れた, 時期遅れの, しりごみする
n. - 後方, 過去
adv. - 後方に, 逆行して
idioms:
العربيه (Arabic)
(صفه) متخلف (ظرف) باتجاه الخلف
עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - פונה לאחור, מפגר, מהסס, ביישן, לא מתקדם
adv. - פונה לאחור
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.