backwards compatibility

back·wards com·pat·i·bil·i·ty
UK/ˈbækwɜːdz kəmˌpætəˈbɪlɪti/US/ˈbækwɝdz kəmˌpætəˈbɪləti/

A form of backward compatibility — The capability of an electronic device, a piece of software, etc., to interoperate with older systems; (countable) an instance of this.

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Meanings

nounbackwards compatibility (usually uncountable, plural backwards compatibilities)

plural backwards compatibilities

  1. alternativeuncountableusuallyAlternative form of backward compatibility.

Origin

From backwards (adjective) + compatibility (noun).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with backwards compatibility

abilityfacilityutilitydisabilitypossibilitystabilitycapabilityprobabilityflexibilitycompatibilityvulnerabilityfertilityinstabilityagilityversatilityhostilityhumilitysensibilitynobilityimpossibilityfutilitymanageabilityfragilityvirility
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Cite this entry
APA

backwards compatibility. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backwards%20compatibility

MLA

“backwards compatibility.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backwards%20compatibility. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backwards compatibility,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backwards%20compatibility.

Source: backwards compatibility on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.