Synonyms

backbite

American

[bak-bahyt] / ˈbækˌbaɪt /

verb (used with object)

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

Synonyms:

defame, libel, slander, deprecate, disparage, belittle

verb (used without object)

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

backbite British

/ ˈbækˌbaɪt /

verb

to talk spitefully about (an absent person)

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

backbiter

noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of backbite

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

But not to quarrel; not to haggle, and backbite and scold!

From Rimrock Jones by Coolidge, Dane

From these though descended our manners are mended, Though still we can grin and backbite!

From The Book of Humorous Verse by Wells, Carolyn

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023