hark back
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To allude, return.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hahrkbakSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhɑɹkˈbæk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
intransitivefiguratively
To allude, return, or revert (to a subject previously mentioned, etc.); also, to evoke, or long or pine for (a past era or event).
intransitiveby extension
To return to where one has previously been; to retrace one's steps.
intransitivehunting
Of hounds: to retrace a course in order to pick up the lost scent of prey.
Go back to something earlier
noun
figuratively
An act of alluding, returning, or reverting (to a subject previously mentioned, etc.); also, an act of evoking, or longing or pining for (a past era or event).
hunting
An act of hounds retracing a course in order to pick up the lost scent of prey.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (figuratively) To allude, return, or revert (to a subject previously mentioned, etc.); also, to evoke, or long or pine for (a past era or event).
Used this way, hark back is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.