EnglishMain Dictionary
backward
Universal Words
adjective
1 [onlybeforenoun] directed or moving towards the back:
She strode past him without a backward glance.
2 moving in a direction that means that no progress is being made
SYNRETROGRADE:
She felt that going back to live in her home town would be a backward step.
3 having made less progress than normal; developing slowly:
a backward part of the country, with no paved roads and no electricity * a backward child * (BrE, spoken) She's not backward in coming forward (= she's not shy).
compareFORWARD
