backward

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• adjective Directed or facing toward the back or rear.
• adjective Done or arranged in a manner or order that is opposite to previous occurrence or normal use.
• adjective Unwilling to act; reluctant; shy.
• adjective Behind others in progress or development.
• adverb To or toward the back or rear.
• adverb With the back leading.
• adverb In a reverse manner or order.
• adverb To, toward, or into the past.
• adverb Toward a worse or less advanced condition.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun The things or state behind or past.
• To obstruct; keep back; retard; delay.
• In the direction of the back: as, to throw the arms backward.
• With the back first in the direction of motion: as, to walk backward; to fall backward.
• In the direction from which one has come; toward that which is or has been left behind: as, he glanced backward.
• Toward bygone times or events; toward that which is past in time: as, to look backward to the last century.
• In or by reflection; reflexively.
• In time past; ago.
• In an opposite or contrary direction.
• In an opposite or reverse order; from the end toward the beginning; in an order contrary to the natural order: as, to read or spell backward; hence, perversely; in a wrong or perverse manner.
• From a better to a worse state; retrogressively.
• Directed to the back or rear: as, “a backward look,”
• Reversed; returning; directed to or toward the original starting-point: as, a backward movement or journey.
• Done in reverse order; done in an order contrary to the natural order, as in repeating a sentence from the end to the beginning.
• Being in, or placed at, the back.
• Slow; sluggish; unprogressive; unadvanced; behind in progress: as, a backward learner.
• Late; behind in time; coming after something else, or after the usual time: as, backward fruits; the season is backward.
• Holding back; averse; reluctant; hesitating.
• Timid; bashful; retiring in disposition; modest.
• Reaching back into the past; already past.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• adverb With the back in advance or foremost.
• adverb Toward the back; toward the rear.
• adverb On the back, or with the back downward.
• adverb Toward, or in, past time or events; ago.
• adverb By way of reflection; reflexively.
• adverb From a better to a worse state, as from honor to shame, from religion to sin.
• adverb In a contrary or reverse manner, way, or direction; contrarily.
• noun obsolete The state behind or past.
• transitive verb obsolete To keep back; to hinder.
• adjective Directed to the back or rear.
• adjective Unwilling; averse; reluctant; hesitating; loath.
• adjective Not well advanced in learning; not quick of apprehension; dull; inapt.
• adjective Late or behindhand.
• adjective Not advanced in civilization; undeveloped.
• adjective rare Already past or gone; bygone.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• adjective of motion Pertaining to the direction towards the back.
• adjective of motion Pertaining to the direction reverse of normal.
• adjective Reluctant or unable to advance.
• adjective Of a culture considered undeveloped or unsophisticated.
• adjective Pertaining to a thought or value that is considered outdated.
• adjective cricket On that part of the field behind the batsman's popping crease.