hinterland
noun
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When you're dealing with geography, it helps to know your hinterland from your umland. In the late 19th century, geographer George Chisholm took note of the German word Hinterland (literally "land in back of") and applied it specifically to the region just inland from a port or coastal settlement. (Chisholm spelled the word hinderland, but English speakers eventually settled on hinterland.) Early in the 20th century, another geographer adopted the German Umland ("land around") to refer to the territory around an inland town. What hinterland and umland have in common is a reference to a region economically tied to a nearby city. Nowadays, hinterland has a less technical use as well—it can be used for land that is simply out in the sticks. It can also be applied figuratively.
Synonyms
Examples of hinterland in a Sentence
Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Jeremy Strong has ignited Oscar chat with his performance in The Apprentice as Roy Cohn, Donald Trump’s mentor and lawyer during his hinterland as a property developer in Manhattan, but he’s revealed that every studio initially passed on the project.
—Caroline Frost, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2024
The hinterland one sees from the Rovos Rail, of Zambia and Botswana, of Namibia and Tanzania, is the true, largely untrammeled face of the region.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2024
Their topsy-turvy economy’s hinterland, the drug trade, is a long way away.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Hinterland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hinterland. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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hinterland
noun
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