What does "backstabber" mean?

A traitor or hypocrite, such as a co-worker or friend assumed trustworthy but who figuratively attacks when one's back is turned.

What is a synonym for "backstabber"?

Common synonyms include: betrayer, double-crosser, double-dealer, quisling, rat, ratter.

Pronounced //ˈbækˌstæbɚ//.

//ˈbækˌstæbɚ// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A traitor or hypocrite, such as a co-worker or friend assumed trustworthy but who figuratively attacks when one's back is turned.

"Tom turned out to be a backstabber."

From back + stabber.

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