backword

B3A1C3K5W4O1R1D2

noun

A contention, retort, or reply.

UncommonScrabble 20

Meanings

nounbackword (plural backwords)

plural backwords

  1. A contradiction or answer to put off an engagement; a countermand.

    Richard has compounded with some Italians to paint a mural of his triumph [...] The time may come when the scene is bitter in his eyes, but he should paint it anyway. He should not give backword to the Italians — it is how they get their living.

    2020, Hilary Mantel, The Mirror and the Light, Fourth Estate, page 840
  2. A section of commentary at the end of a book.

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“backword.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backword. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backword,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backword.

Source: backword on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.