Backbiter
//ˈbæk.baɪt.ə(ɹ)// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who says nasty things about another person behind the second person's back: that is, out of their sight and hearing.
"[…] here were no Gibers, Cenſurers, Backbiters, Pick-pockets, Highwaymen, Houſebreakers, Attorneys, Bawds, Buffoons, Gameſters, Politicians, Wits, ſplenetick tedious Talkers, Controvertiſts, Raviſhers, Murderers, Robbers, Virtuoſo's; […]"
- 2 one who attacks the reputation of another by slander or libel wordnet
Example
More examples"[…] here were no Gibers, Cenſurers, Backbiters, Pick-pockets, Highwaymen, Houſebreakers, Attorneys, Bawds, Buffoons, Gameſters, Politicians, Wits, ſplenetick tedious Talkers, Controvertiſts, Raviſhers, Murderers, Robbers, Virtuoſo's; […]"
Etymology
From Middle English bakbitere, bakbytere, bacbitere, equivalent to backbite + -er.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.