Dictionary definition · backward
adjective
- directed or facing toward the back or rear"a backward view"
- (used of temperament or behavior) marked by a retiring nature"a backward lover"
- retarded in intellectual development
- having made less than normal progress"an economically backward country"
adverb
- at or to or toward the back or rear"he moved back"
- 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’"
- in or to or toward a past time"set the clocks back an hour"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).