backward-looking (C1)
adjective
Definition
backward-looking means not progressive; concerned with the past rather than the present or future. It can have more than one sense, so use the alternate meanings and examples to choose the meaning that matches your sentence.
Examples
The writer described the response as backward-looking.
A backward-looking tone can change the mood of a conversation.
The situation became backward-looking after the announcement.
How to Use backward-looking
- backward-looking + noun (collocation)
- Use backward-looking before a noun to describe that quality. — "The writer described a backward-looking reaction."
- become backward-looking (collocation)
- Use after become, seem, or be for a state or quality. — "The discussion became backward-looking near the end."
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