Backward
Backward adjective - Directed, turned, or done toward the back.
In reverse and backward are semantically related in rearward topic. In some cases you can use "In reverse" instead the word "Backward" as an adverb or an adjective, when it comes to topics like toward the rear.
In reverse
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both terms in one sentence
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Rewind Gag: The guys announce that they know Hamlet backward, then prove it by performing their cut-down version in reverse.
- Even getting to a fork backward, quickly shoving the train in reverse, and flipping the switch will only get you a few seconds' respite.
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A more recent UK campaign to get people to drive more slowly through residential areas involves the horrifying image of a dead little girl against a tree, who is slowly dragged backward into the street, bones snapping back into place, before being shown in reverse being hit by a car.
Cite this Source
In reverse and Backward. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/backward/in_reverse
Backward & In reverse. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/backward/in_reverse>.
In reverse or Backward. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/backward/in_reverse.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "backward" and "in reverse" have occurred on timeline