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

---

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)

---

Other Word Forms

• backbiter noun

Etymology

Origin of backbite

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

Example Sentences

That tops the previous high for the drama about a backbiting family of media moguls.

From Seattle Times

But Dr. Gregorian grew frustrated by campus politics, and he had no patience for faculty pettiness or backbiting.

From Washington Post

A string of tell-alls about Trump’s White House have recounted a level of backbiting and chaos that made the inner workings of the Clinton campaign look like a Swiss timepiece by comparison.

From New York Times

Just eight weeks after the Capitol riot, some of the most prominent groups that participated are fracturing amid a torrent of backbiting and finger-pointing.

From New York Times

You also always have the option, of course, to estrange yourself from any family members who are “backbiting and nasty” more than they are kind.

From Washington Post