Meanings
nounbackness (uncountable)
- uncountablehuman sciencesQuality of being a back vowel.
The most important aspects of vowel quality are tongue height, frontness/backness and lip rounding.
1996, Andrew Spencer, Phonology: theory and description, page 25Antonyms: frontness
- uncountablehuman sciencesA quality of vowels, indicating the horizontal position of the tongue relative to the back of the mouth (front, near-front, central, near-back, or back).
Synonyms: frontness
Synonyms & antonyms
nounQuality of being a back vowel.
Opposite
nounA quality of vowels, indicating the horizontal position of the tongue relative to the back of the mouth (front, near-front, central, near-back, or back).
Similar
Origin
Translations
Catalan posterioritat
- posterioritata quality of vowels: the position of the tongue relative to the back of the mouth
Hungarian elölség, elölképzettség
- elölséga quality of vowels: the position of the tongue relative to the back of the mouth
- elölképzettséga quality of vowels: the position of the tongue relative to the back of the mouth
Cite this entry
APA
backness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backness
MLA
“backness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backness.
Source: backness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.