BACKWARDS

back, backward, backwards, rearward, rearwards

(adverb) 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”

backward, backwards

(adverb) 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”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Adjective

backwards (comparative more backwards, superlative most backwards)

Oriented toward the back.

Reversed.

(derogatory) Behind current trends or technology.

Clumsy, inept, or inefficient, especially in learning.

Usage notes

• In senses 3 and 4, and often in American English, backward is preferred.

Synonyms

• (oriented toward the back)

• (reversed): mirror image, switched, back to front

• (behind current trends or technology): crude, dated, obsolete, primitive; see also obsolete

• (clumsy, inept, or inefficient): awkward, fumbling, incompetent, poor; see also unskilled

Etymology 2

Adverb

backwards (comparative more backwards, superlative most backwards)

Toward the back.

In the opposite direction to usual.

In a manner such that the back precedes the front.

towards the past; ago

Usage notes

• In written American English, backward is more common.

• Strictly speaking, backwards is an adverb and backward is an adjective in British English; in American English, the rule may be reversed. This follows the same usage for similar words ending in -ward/-wards and -way/-ways. See also -wise.

• Also, even though an adverb may be used in adjectival combinations (eg a quickly moving car), only the -ward forms are commonly used in adjectival combinations, e.g.

Synonyms

• (toward the back): hindwards, rearward, retrograde

• (in the opposite direction of usual): contrariwise, reversedly; See also contrarily

• (so that the back precedes the front): back to front, in reverse; See also back to front

Anagrams

• drawbacks

Source: Wiktionary

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Back"ward, Back"wards, adv. Etym: [Back, adv. + -ward.]

1. With the back in advance or foremost; as, to ride backward.

2. Toward the back; toward the rear; as, to throw the arms backward.

3. On the back, or with the back downward. Thou wilt fall backward. Shak.

4. Toward, or in, past time or events; ago. Some reigns backward. Locke.

5. By way of reflection; reflexively. Sir J. Davies.

6. From a better to a worse state, as from honor to shame, from religion to sin. The work went backward. Dryden.

7. In a contrary or reverse manner, way, or direction; contrarily; as, to read backwards. We might have . . . beat them backward home. Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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