What is the Latin word for backward?

The usual Latin words for “backward” are retrō, retrōrsum, āvertō; also ambulō, gradior, dēterior. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“backward” in Latin

retrōback, backwards, behind; before, formerly retrōrsumbackwards; in reverse order āvertōto turn away, turn off, avert; to avoid, divert, deviate; to remove; to steal, embezzle, appropriate to oneself ambulōto traverse, travel; to walk gradiorto step, walk, stride; to "walk" as in to act or behave, to join with; to advance, proceed, go, move dēteriorworse, lower, inferior, poorer aliēnusOf that which belongs to another person, place, or object—of another, alien, foreign; unfriendly, inimical, hostile, sus tardusslow, sluggish; tardy; late, lingering lentussticky, tenacious; slow, sluggish; flexible, pliant sēgnisslow, tardy, torpid, inactive, unenergetic, lazy

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

backward adv.

retro; retrorsum: to go back, retro ire, or ambulare, or gradi: backward and forward, ultro citroque.

To go backward = become worse: deteriorem, deterius fieri; in deterius mutari: in pejorem partem verti et mutari. He goes backward in his learning, non discit, sed dediscit. His affairs go backward, res ejus deteriore loco sunt.

With the back turned toward the spectator, aversus. Bears creep down from trees backward, ursi arbores aversi derepunt.

backward adj.

ab aliquo or ab aliqua re aversus, alienus: tardus (opposed to celer, velox: also of the mind); lentus (opposed to citus. and, of the mind, to acer): segnis (opposed to promtus): according to Döderlein, tardus denotes slowness with reference to the great length oftime spent; whereas lentus with reference to quietness of motion (Handbook, p. 209): backward in transacting business, tardus in rebus gerendis: backward in writing, cessatorem esse in litteris: backward in learning, tardus ad discendum, or in discendo; lentus in discendo; ingenio tardo; piger (slothful).

Loitering, etc., cunctans; cunctabundus; cessans; moram faciens.

Late, with reference to time: serus: serotiuus: backward figs, serae fici: grapes, serotinae uvae.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for backward?: The usual Latin words for “backward” are retrō, retrōrsum, āvertō; also ambulō, gradior, dēterior. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.