backbite

American  

[bak-bahyt] / ˈbækˌbaɪt /

verb (used with object)

backbit, backbitten, backbit, backbiting

1. to attack the character or reputation of (a person who is not present).

   Synonyms:

   defame, libel, slander, deprecate, disparage, belittle

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verb (used without object)

backbit, backbitten, backbit, backbiting

1. to speak unfavorably or slanderously of a person who is not present.

backbite British  

/ ˈbækˌbaɪt /

verb

1. to talk spitefully about (an absent person)

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Other Word Forms

• backbiter
  noun

Etymology

Origin of backbite

Middle English word dating back to 1125–75; see origin at back ¹, bite

Example Sentences

Characters backbite, bellyache, reluctantly pitch in and commit mundane acts of heroism in a largely believable manner, and there’s blessedly little inspirational speechmaking.

From New York Times • Sep. 11, 2022

Diana could spin one delicious backbite like that into a column.

From Time Magazine Archive

I am sorry to be obliged to backbite, but really and truly we don’t like Mrs. De Lancey Smythe.

From The Automobile Girls at Palm Beach Proving Their Mettle Under Southern Skies by Crane, Laura Dent

You mean, I suppose, you would not swear away any man's life falsely before a magistrate, but do you take equal care not to slander or backbite him?

From The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain and Other Tales by More, Hannah

Do not malign or backbite your absent friend.

From Girls: Faults and Ideals A Familiar Talk, with Quotations from Letters by Miller, J. R. (James Russell)