noun
Meaning 1
The state of being backward.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
backwardness
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET: B AE1 K W ER0 D N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Reluctance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
lack of normal development of intellectual capacities
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: retardation, mental retardation, slowness, subnormality
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: stupidity
Narrower terms: abnormality, mental defectiveness, moronity, mental deficiency, idiocy, amentia, imbecility
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English backward Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English backwardness From backward + -ness.
Across languages
Translations
18 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: تَخَلُّف (taḵalluf) — state of being backward
- Arabic: تخلف (taḵalluf) — state of being backward
- Bulgarian: назадничавост (nazadničavost) — state of being backward
- Bulgarian: изостаналост (izostanalost) — state of being backward
- Finnish: takaperoisuus — state of being backward
- Finnish: takapajuisuus — state of being backward
- Finnish: vanhanaikaisuus — state of being backward
- Finnish: jälkeenjääneisyys — state of being backward
- French: arriération — state of being backward
- French: retard — state of being backward
- Mongolian: хоцрогдсон байдал (xocrogdson bajdal) — state of being backward
- Polish: zacofanie — state of being backward
- Polish: średniowiecze — state of being backward
- Romanian: înapoiere — state of being backward
- Russian: отста́лость (otstálostʹ) — state of being backward
- Swedish: underutveckling — state of being backward
- Finnish: vastahakoisuus — reluctance
- Polish: zacofanie — reluctance