Backward
Backward adverb - Toward the rear.
Usage example: looking backward, we could see the town receding in the distance
Counterclockwise and backward are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Counterclockwise" instead an adverb "Backward".
Counterclockwise
Counterclockwise adverb - In a direction opposite to the direction in which the hands of a clock move.
Show all Definitions
Synonyms for Counterclockwise
Backward and counterclockwise are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Backward" instead an adverb "Counterclockwise".
Both words in one sentence
- The Beatles' Yellow Submarine movie uses a variant of this by showing rapidly clockwise-spinning hands when time actually is going forward rapidly, and then rapidly counterclockwise-spinning hands when time is going backward rapidly.
Source: Spinning Clock Hands
Cite this Source
Counterclockwise and Backward. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/backward/counterclockwise
Backward & Counterclockwise. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/backward/counterclockwise>.
Counterclockwise or Backward. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/backward/counterclockwise.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "backward" and "counterclockwise" have occurred on timeline