backbite

[ bak-bahyt ]
/ ˈbækˌbaɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR backbite ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), back·bit, back·bit·ten or (Informal) back·bit; back·bit·ing.

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

verb (used without object), back·bit, back·bit·ten or (Informal) back·bit; back·bit·ing.

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

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of backbite

Middle English word dating back to 1125–75; see origin at back1, bite

OTHER WORDS FROM backbite

back·bit·er, noun

Words nearby backbite

backband, backbar, backbeat, backbencher, backbend, backbite, backblocks, backboard, backboard splint, backbone, backbreaker
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to backbite

lie, traduce, spite, malign, denigrate, scandalize, slander, abuse, gossip, vilify, calumniate, backstab

Example sentences from the Web for backbite

British Dictionary definitions for backbite

backbite
/ (ˈbækˌbaɪt) /

verb -bites, -biting, -bit, -bitten or -bit

to talk spitefully about (an absent person)

Derived forms of backbite

backbiter, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012