backward or backwards

As an adverb, either word will do: “put the shirt on backward” or “putthe shirt on backwards.” However, as an adjective, only “backward” willdo: “a backward glance.” When in doubt, use “backward.”

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• owness vs onus
• error vs err
• soar vs sore
• bias vs biased
• heal vs heel
• hyperdermic vs hypodermic
• epitomy vs epitome
• skiddish vs skittish
• whimp vs wimp
• wreckless vs reckless

Definitions

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• a  directed or facing toward the back or rear
  a backward view
• a  (used of temperament or behavior) marked by a retiring nature
  a backward lover
• s  retarded in intellectual development
• s  having made less than normal progress
  an economically backward country
• r  at or to or toward the back or rear
  tripped when he stepped backward
• r  in a manner or order or direction the reverse of normal
  it's easy to get the `i' and the `e' backward in words like `seize' and `siege'
  the child put her jersey on backward
• r  in or to or toward a past time
  lovers of the past looking fondly backward

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• r  at or to or toward the back or rear
• r  in a manner or order or direction the reverse of normal

News & Articles

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• Dow Jones industrial average fell 353 points on Thursday, biggest drop of 2013
  Wall Street had its worst day of the year Thursday and investors are now worrying that a rebounding economy could be falling backward.
  June 21, 2013 - WJXT Jacksonville
• HD Remake of 'Final Fantasy XII' Possible if 'X' and 'X-2' HD Sell Well, says Producer
  by Joseph Leray I was musing recently about the concept of backward compatibility. Specifically, it struck me that the PlayStation 2 may still be the finest example of the concept in terms of execution and scope, a feature that Sony promptly dropped when it released the PlayStation 3. Here's my dirty secret, though: my PlayStation [...]
  June 20, 2013 - MTV
• Working backward: Computer-aided design of zeolite templates
  Taking a page from computer-aided drug designers, researchers have developed a computational method that chemists can use to tailor the properties of zeolites, one of the world's most-used industrial minerals. The method allows chemists to work backward by first considering the type of zeolite they wish to make and then creating the organic template needed to produce it.
  June 18, 2013 - Science Daily

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• Video of Guide Dogs trio escaping backwards-driving car goes viral
  Dramatic video footage of two employees and a dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind narrowly escaping a backwards-driving car on a downtown San Rafael sidewalk has become an Internet sensation.
  June 18, 2013 - Contra Costa Times
• Video of Guide Dogs trio escaping backwards-driving car in San Rafael goes viral
  Dramatic video footage of two employees and a dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind narrowly escaping a backwards-driving car on a downtown San Rafael sidewalk has become an Internet sensation.
  June 18, 2013 - The Daily Democrat
• Boy Scouts’ policy a step backwards
  The Boy Scouts of America took a step backwards with the May 23 decision to open its ranks to gay Scouts in the opinion of the people I have talked to about this issue. And most of the ones I talked with have stopped taking The Herald long ago due to the opinions of your paper. Your editorial in regarding this issue states that you think gay boys deserve the moral guidance that Scouting has to ...
  June 17, 2013 - The Rock Hill Herald