backwater

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ms. Allen concedes their regionalism but argues that they were wiser for understanding that a “provincial backwater offers as full a panoply of human folly, nobility, tragedy, and absurdity as any great metropolis.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

America’s transformation during the 19th century from an agrarian backwater into a global power was captained by men who engaged in maneuvers that would be completely illegal today but weren’t at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 2, 2025

Im scraped together low-value land in a backwater known for its seedy motels and opened the theme park — a decision his friends disparaged.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2024

"The attorney general - usually a sleepy backwater of an office - was now home to a rising star."

From BBC • Nov. 3, 2024

In the New World the cold regions at high latitude were even more of a human backwater.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond