adverb / adjective
backward
Toward the rear or in the reverse direction or order.
The driver takes a backward glance before reversing out of the driveway.
Etymology
The word for back joins -ward, which marks direction. Backward points toward the rear and extends that reversal to movement through a sequence or an established order.
More examples
- She stepped backward to let the cart pass.
- The sequence runs backward from ten to one.
- A backward roll carries the gymnast across the mat.
Similar words
- reverse
- Specifies an opposite direction or order without implying a physical rear.
- rearward
- Specifically means toward the back rather than reversed sequence.