Word.ws English Dictionary

backwards compatible

US/ˌbækwɚdkəmˈpætəb(ə)l/

backwards compatible is the alternative form of backward compatible.

Meaning of backward compatible

Adjective

backward compatible (comparative more backward compatible, superlative most backward compatible)

  1. Capable of interoperating with older systems.
    • The new editor is backward compatible with all versions later than 1.17.

Forms of backwards compatible

comparativemore backwards compatible
superlativemost backwards compatible

Questions about backwards compatible

What is backwards compatible the alternative form of?
Backwards compatible is the alternative form of backward compatible.
How do you pronounce backwards compatible?
Backwards compatible is pronounced /ˌbækwɚdkəmˈpætəb(ə)l/ (US).

Words near backwards compatible in the dictionary

  1. backwardnesses
  2. backwards
  3. backwards and forwards
  4. backwards compatibilities
  5. backwards compatibility
  6. backwards compatible
  7. backwards compliment
  8. backwards compliments
  9. backwards roll
  10. backwards rolls
  11. backwards-compatible

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: backwards compatible (page history and authors); backward compatible (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “backwards compatible.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/backwards_compatible. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.