outback

[ noun out-bak; adjective adverb out-bak ]

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) Usually the outback. the back country or remote settlements; the bush.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or located in the back country:

   outback settlements.

adverb

1. in or to the back country:

   They moved outback many years ago.

outback

/ ˈaʊtˌbæk /

noun

1. 1. the remote bush country of Australia
   2. ( as modifier )

      outback life

Word History and Origins

Origin of outback¹

First recorded in 1875–80; out + back ²

Example Sentences

What makes it great: Even after I saw Red Rock Canyon, I didn’t fully understand how easily outback Nevada can pass for outback Utah.

From Los Angeles Times

The dystopian action films, created by George Miller, are set in the barren Australian outback, exploring the breakdown of society after an apocalypse.

From BBC

“I know he pinched you, and even knocked you down, but… It’s like the laws of the outback took over that lunchroom or something. What you did was wrong.”

From Literature

The study, published in the journal Nature, compared 16 societies scattered across the world, in places like the Yukon and the Australian outback.

From New York Times

An extremely rare blind, hairy mole has been spotted and photographed in the Australian outback.

From BBC

Related Words

• wilderness