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backwards
adverb /ˈbæk.wədz/
/-wɚdz/ Definition
B1 (US also backward) towards the direction that is opposite to the one in which you are facing or opposite to the usual direction: I walked backwards towards the door. He took a step backwards to allow her to pass. He began counting backwards: "Ten, nine, eight..." → Compare forwardsBackwards, sideways and back and forth › returning to older and less effective ways: The breakdown in negotiations will be seen as a step backwards.Custom, tradition and conformity backwards and forwards › first in one direction and then in the opposite one: Paul paced anxiously backwards and forwards.Backwards, sideways and back and forth
(Definition of backwards adverb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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SMART Thesaurus: Custom, tradition & conformity
Synonyms and related words:
- backward-looking adjective
- be (like) sheep idiom
- blend into the scenery idiom
- classical adjective (TRADITIONAL)
- conform verb
- convention noun (CUSTOM)
- folk adjective
- folk memory noun
- folklore noun
- follow the crowd idiom
- go/swim against the tide idiom
- mainstream noun
- multiculturalism noun
- nonconformist noun
- norm noun
- observe verb (OBEY)
- orthodoxy noun
- reactionary noun
- take your cue from sth/sb idiom
- zeitgeist noun
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