backward

1. 1.

   at or to or toward the back or rear

   “he moved back”

   “tripped when he stepped backward”

   “she looked rearward out the window of the car”

   Synonymsbackbackwardsrearwardrearwards

   Antonymsforward
2. 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”

   Synonymsbackwards
3. 3.

   in or to or toward a past time

   “set the clocks back an hour”

   “never look back”

   “lovers of the past looking fondly backward”

   Synonymsback

   Antonymsforward

Other forms of backward

comparative

backwarder·

superlative

backwardest·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about backward

What does backward mean?

backward means "directed or facing toward the back or rear". That is the primary sense; the word has 7 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in backward?

backward has 2 syllables: bac-kward. The stress falls on "bac". In IPA it is /ˈbækwɚd/.

What is another word for backward?

Close synonyms include half-witted, slow-witted, feebleminded, back, backwards. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

What is the opposite of backward?

The recorded antonyms are forward, forward, forward, forward.

Is backward a common word?

backward is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.