noun, verb, slang ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   One who engages in backbiting; a backbiter.

Verb

1. 1
   To make spiteful slanderous or defamatory statements about someone.

   "They beguiled the time by backbiting and intriguing against each other in a foolish kind of way."

2. 2
   say mean things wordnet
3. 3
   To attack from behind or when out of earshot with spiteful or defamatory remarks. informal
4. 4
   To speak badly of an absent individual.

Synonyms

All synonyms

asperseassassinatebadmouthbefoulbelibelbesmear

Antonyms

All antonyms

glorifypromoterespectspeak well of

Example

More examples

"And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would any of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor that!"

Etymology

From Middle English bakbiten, bacbiten, equivalent to back- + bite. Cognate with Icelandic bakbíta (“to backbite, vilify”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.