backless

IPA/ˈbækləs/
KK[bˈækləs]IPA/ˈbækləs/

backless — adjective

  • backlesspositive
  • more backlesscomparative
  • most backlesssuperlative

1. (of a dress, top, or swimsuit) cut so that the wearer's back is mostly bare inst

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

(of a dress, top, or swimsuit) cut so that the wearer's back is mostly bare instead of covered by fabric.

Example

Rohan wore a long backless gown to his sister's wedding in Taipei.

attributive: backless + gown/dress/top

The shop window displayed a silk backless dress with thin shoulder straps.

Common collocations
  • backless dress
  • backless gown
  • backless top
  • backless swimsuit
  • backless evening dress
Synonyms
  • low-backed

    less extreme; back is cut low rather than fully open

  • open-backed

    near-synonym; common in clothing catalogues

Antonyms
  • high-backed

    of garments, covering the back fully up to the neckline

Grammar Patterns

backless + noun (clothing item)

Usage Note

Almost always attributive (before a noun for clothing). Distinguish from sense 2: here the item still has a front and sides, but the back panel is missing or very low.

Common Mistakes

The dress is backless on the front.
The dress is backless.
'backless' refers only to the back of the garment; saying 'on the front' contradicts the meaning.

2. (of a stool, bench, or seat) made without any upright support behind, so the per

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

(of a stool, bench, or seat) made without any upright support behind, so the person sitting on it has nothing to lean against.

Example

Lior sat on a tall backless stool at the kitchen counter and ate his noodles.

attributive: backless + stool/bench/seat

The temple hall had rows of long wooden backless benches for the visitors.

Common collocations
  • backless stool
  • backless bench
  • backless chair
  • backless seat
  • backless bar stool
Synonyms
  • armless

    different feature absent (the arms, not the back); both can apply to a chair

  • stool-style

    informal description for any seat lacking a backrest

Antonyms
  • high-backed

    having a tall backrest, e.g. a high-backed armchair

Grammar Patterns

backless + noun (seat or bench)

Usage Note

Always attributive before a furniture noun (stool, bench, seat, chair). Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about the absence of a backrest on furniture, not about exposed skin on a wearer.

Common Mistakes

The room is backless.
The room has only backless stools.
'backless' describes a piece of furniture, not a place or space.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe garments by what fabric is missing, but they pick out different parts of the body. 'Backless' means the back is mostly bare, with little or no fabric behind the wearer; it is the strongest of the group and is common in fashion writing for evening wear. 'Low-backed' is milder — the back is cut deep but still has some fabric, often down to the waistline. 'Open-backed' overlaps with backless but is more often used in catalogues for tops and swimsuits. 'Strapless' is unrelated to the back: it describes a top with no shoulder straps, so the shoulders are bare instead. A dress can be both strapless and backless (no shoulder straps and an open back), or just one of the two.

backless ↗low-backedopen-backedstrapless

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • backless evening dress
  • backless bar stool

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in English by adding the suffix '-less' (meaning 'without') to the noun 'back'. The pattern dates back to Old English, where '-leas' was used to make adjectives describing the absence of something (compare 'hopeless', 'endless'). 'Backless' itself appears in English from the 19th century, first describing furniture without a backrest and later, in the 20th century, becoming common in fashion writing for garments cut to leave the wearer's back exposed.