backlist

To hold back a student's application (to a college etc.) based on whether a preferred candidate declines their offer.

Noun

  1. A list of older books available from a publisher, as opposed to the frontlist of more recent titles.

    Synonyms: back catalog back catalogue

    Antonyms: frontlist

    Hypernyms: booklist

  2. Expected to achieve years of adequate sales while on a backlist, and to be profitable on that basis, even if predicted not to sell in huge numbers when new.
    • The celebrity tell-all has been proposed as a frontlist title, whereas the cookbook has been proposed as a backlist title and the food history book as a midlist title.

    Antonyms: frontlist

    Coordinate Terms: midlist

Origin

From back + list.

Forms

backlists

Verb

  1. To hold back a student's application (to a college etc.) based on whether a preferred candidate declines their offer.
    • I have not heard back from the college yet: I must have been backlisted.
  2. To place (a book) on a backlist.

Forms

backlists backlisting backlisted