Meanings
comparative more ass-backwards · superlative most ass-backwards · alternative ass backwards · alternative ass-backward · alternative ass backward · alternative back-asswards · alternative backasswards · alternative bass-ackwards · alternative bassackwards
- colloquialidiomaticHopelessly misguided; contrary to what is normal, expected, or logical; having taken the utterly wrong choice.
No wonder it doesn't work. The whole design is ass-backwards.
alternative ass backwards · alternative ass-backward · alternative ass backward · alternative back-asswards · alternative backasswards · alternative bass-ackwards · alternative bassackwards
- colloquialnot comparableMoving backwards, that is, rear end first.
- colloquialidiomaticnot comparableIn a hopelessly misguided manner; in a manner contrary to what is normal, expected, or logical.
They did the whole design ass-backwards. No wonder it doesn't work.
Origin
Recorded in the US in the 1930s. From ass + backwards
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish perse edellä, päin persettä
- perse edellämoving backwards, that is, rear end first
- päin persettäin a hopelessly misguided manner
French en arrière
- en arrièremoving backwards, that is, rear end first
German arschlings
- arschlingsmoving backwards, that is, rear end first
Italian testacoda, alla cazzo di cane
- testacodamoving backwards, that is, rear end first
- alla cazzo di canein a hopelessly misguided manner
- alla carlonain a hopelessly misguided manner
- alla meglioin a hopelessly misguided manner
- alla bell’e meglioin a hopelessly misguided manner
Polish od dupy strony, od dupy strony
- od dupy stronymoving backwards, that is, rear end first
- od dupy stronyin a hopelessly misguided manner
Russian за́дом наперёд, ра́ком
- за́дом наперёд (zádom naperjód)moving backwards, that is, rear end first
- ра́ком (rákom)moving backwards, that is, rear end first
- ши́ворот-навы́ворот (šívorot-navývorot)in a hopelessly misguided manner
- че́рез жопу (čérez žopu)in a hopelessly misguided manner
- ра́ком (rákom)in a hopelessly misguided manner
Spanish a tuertas
- a tuertasin a hopelessly misguided manner
Swedish bakåt, baklänges
- bakåtmoving backwards, that is, rear end first
- baklängesmoving backwards, that is, rear end first
Cite this entry
ass-backwards. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ass-backwards
“ass-backwards.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ass-backwards. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ass-backwards,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ass-backwards.
Source: ass-backwards on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.