backwardly

Variant of backward

adverb

  1. toward the back or rear; behind
  2. with the back or rear foremost
  3. in reverse: to spell a word backward
  4. in a way contrary to the normal or usual way
  5. toward earlier times; into the past
  6. from a better to a worse state

Origin: ME bakward, for abakward < abak (< OE on bæc, back) + -ward (< OE -weard, toward)

adjective

  1. turned or directed toward the rear or in the opposite way
  2. hesitant, bashful, or shy, as in meeting people
  3. late in developing or growing; retarded; slow

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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