Thesaurus results for BACKLAND

backland

noun

ˈbak-ˌland

Definition of backland

as in countryside

usually backlands plural a rural region that forms the edge of the settled or developed part of a country they purposely vacationed in the backlands to get away from people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of backland But more migrants, moving farther into remote backlands to elude the Border Patrol, have died in scorching desert heat, a shameful indicator that enforcement is having an effect in many places. — Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024 His protagonist, living in direst poverty in Brazil’s arid backlands, decides to migrate to the wealthier coast. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 1 Dec. 2019 Born in the arid backlands of Brazil’s north-east, Mr Gilberto arrived in Rio de Janeiro in 1950 as a singer in one of the then-fashionable vocal ensembles. — The Economist, 11 July 2019 Tucked in the emerald backlands of Fayetteville, Georgia, inside a cavernous soundstage at Pinewood Studios, Mara Brock-Akil is in full field marshall mode. — Jason Parham, WIRED, 19 June 2018 Patrícia Santos da Silva, 24, and her family live in the city of Santana do Ipanema, in the western backlands of Alagoas. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 1 Nov. 2017 Some escaped and formed clandestine communities in the backlands of the rainforest, independent villages known as quilombos. — Smithsonian, 21 Sep. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backland

Noun

Three Houthi officials said the rebel group controls roughly 80% of the countryside surrounding Taiz and several key neighborhoods inside the city.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
The group now runs 15 hotels throughout Europe, including city hotels in Paris, London, and Venice, countryside estates in the Cotswolds and Biarritz, mountain chalets in Verbier and Val d’Isère, and seaside resorts in Ibiza and Menorca.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of countryside

Noun

Just before dusk, four or five does walked under the tree, and then a four-point buck followed, stopping beneath me to rub his antlers on a bush.

— Al Dawson, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Tortoises routinely seek shade under dense bushes, vanish into mangroves, or shelter from the scorching equatorial sun.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of bush

Noun

The cosmonauts plonked down on November 19th, 1965 in the Midlands market town of Rugby, a cultural backwater best known for the sport, the school, and wartime poet Rupert Brooke, in that order.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Navigate the biodiverse backwaters of Choctawhatchee Bay or visit Destin, the perfect beach town for kiteboarding and snorkeling.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of backwater

Noun

On foreign policy, Lula has worked to boost the political influence of countries in the Global South as a founding member of the BRICS group, a grouping of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, China, Russia, India and South Africa.

— Catherine Osborn, NPR, 26 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, who has spent more than four hundred million dollars on Republican campaigns this election cycle, slowed Ukraine’s access to his Starshield satellite network, leaving that country more vulnerable to Russian attacks.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of country

Noun

Miami Beach, once an outback on the map of the international art world, is now able to make an argument for itself as a cultural hub.

— Brian Boucher for Artnet News, Robb Report, 20 Oct. 2026
In the sparsely populated Australian outback, help takes time to arrive.

— Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of outback

Noun

The dispute unfolds as North Korea fortifies the already heavily armed frontier and both sides trade accusations, with diplomacy stalled and Seoul’s military vowing a firm response.

— Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Monetizing the Muse The results also come a week after Meta’s Superintelligence Labs launched Muse Wonder to the public, its first frontier model, and a little over a month since Meta released its Muse virtual assistant.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026