Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having a back that is curved or hunched, typically describing a posture where the shoulders are bent forward and the spine is not straight.

Usage

• The adjective "round-backed" is used to describe a person's (or sometimes an animal's) physical posture or build. It implies a permanent or habitual curvature of the upper back and shoulders.
• It is often used in descriptive writing or medical/observational contexts.

Examples

• The round-backed old man shuffled slowly down the path.
• Years of working at the loom left her round-backed.
• He sat in a round-backed slouch at his desk.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used metaphorically to suggest weariness, burden, or submission.
  • The defeated army marched home, round-backed with shame.

Variants and Related Words

• Stooping (adj): Bending the head and shoulders forward and downward. (Often used interchangeably with "round-backed").
• Hunched (adj): Having the back and shoulders rounded.
• Kyphotic (adj): The medical term for an abnormally excessive convex curvature of the spine.
• Round-shouldered (adj): Having shoulders that curve forward, contributing to a round-backed appearance.

Synonyms

• Stooped
• Hunched
• Crooked
• Bent
• Curved

Antonyms

• Erect
• Upright
• Straight-backed

Related Phrases/Idioms

• To be round-shouldered: This is a closely related phrase describing the specific posture that leads to being round-backed.
  • He became round-shouldered from years of studying at a low table.

Adjective

1. having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
   • a little oldish misshapen stooping woman