backbite

B3A1C3K5B3I1T1E1

verb

To make spiteful slanderous or defamatory statements about someone.

Similar
denigratelibelslanderassassinateaspersebadmouthbefoulbelibel
OriginMiddle English bakbiten →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

verbbackbite (third-person singular simple present backbites, present participle backbiting, simple past backbit, past participle backbitten)

present singular third person backbites · participle present backbiting · past backbit · participle past backbitten · alternative back-bite

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

    Gumshoe: You're not gonna get me to backbite a woman with a whip. No way.

    2007 March 16, Capcom Production Studio 4, quoting Gumshoe, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All, Europe: Capcom, →OCLC, Nintendo DS, scene: Part 3: Investigation, Plaza, level/area: Turnabout Big Top
    1 more example

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

    1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 213

    Synonyms: denigrate, libel, slander, assassinate, asperse, badmouth, befoul, belibel

  2. informalTo attack from behind or when out of earshot with spiteful or defamatory remarks.
  3. To speak badly of an absent individual.
nounbackbite (plural backbites)

plural backbites · alternative back-bite

  1. One who engages in backbiting; a backbiter.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo make spiteful slanderous or defamatory statements about someone.

Similar
denigratelibelslanderassassinateaspersebadmouthbefoulbelibelbesmirchbesmearbewrayblackenblameblazeblemishblotblurcalumniatecalumny

More synonyms by meaning

verbsay mean things

Similar
bitch
Broader
complainkickplain
Also see
asperseassassinatebefoulbelibelbesmearbesmirchbewraybitchblackenblameblazeblemishblotblurcalumniatecalumnychat shitclouddefamedemonizedenigratedepravedepreciatedetractdirtydisreputedissdrag through the mudforgabforspeakfoulinfamizelampoonlibelmalignmonsterizemuddyreproachscandalshit talksmearspatterspeak ill ofspotstabstainsullytalk shittalk shitetalk trashtorchtraducetrash-talkunflattervilifyvilipendvillainizewrong

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishbakbiten
  2. Englishbackbite

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

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic اِغْتَابَ, أَبَرَ
  • اِغْتَابَ (iḡtāba)to make defamatory statements about another
  • أَبَرَ (ʔabara)to make defamatory statements about another
Bulgarian злосло́вя
  • злосло́вя (zloslóvja)to make defamatory statements about another
Chinese Mandarin 戳脊梁骨, 戳脊梁
  • 戳脊梁骨 (chuō jǐlianggǔ)to make defamatory statements about another
  • 戳脊梁 (chuō jǐliang)to make defamatory statements about another
  • 誹謗 /诽谤 (fěibàng)to make defamatory statements about another
Czech pomlouvat, pomluvit
  • pomlouvatto make defamatory statements about another
  • pomluvitto make defamatory statements about another
Finnish herjata, panetella
  • herjatato make defamatory statements about another
  • panetellato make defamatory statements about another
French calomnier, salir
  • calomnierto make defamatory statements about another
  • salirto make defamatory statements about another
  • diffamerto make defamatory statements about another
German verleumden, afterreden
  • verleumdento make defamatory statements about another
  • afterredento make defamatory statements about another
  • anschwärzento make defamatory statements about another
Icelandic baknaga, rægja
  • baknagato make defamatory statements about another
  • rægjato make defamatory statements about another
  • rógberato make defamatory statements about another
Italian dire peste e corna, parlare male
  • dire peste e cornato make defamatory statements about another
  • parlare maleto make defamatory statements about another
  • denigrareto make defamatory statements about another
  • sparlareto make defamatory statements about another
  • calunniareto make defamatory statements about another
  • parlare alle spalleto make defamatory statements about another
Japanese 後指を指す
  • 後指を指す (ushiroyubi wo sasu)to make defamatory statements about another
Māori muhari, kohimu
  • muharito make defamatory statements about another
  • kohimuto make defamatory statements about another
  • kōhimuhimuto make defamatory statements about another
  • ngautuarāto make defamatory statements about another
  • kōhumuhumuto make defamatory statements about another
Polish obmawiać, obgadywać
  • obmawiaćto make defamatory statements about another
  • obgadywaćto make defamatory statements about another
Portuguese fazer a caveira
  • fazer a caveirato make defamatory statements about another
Russian злосло́вить, ха́ять
  • злосло́вить (zloslóvitʹ)to make defamatory statements about another
  • ха́ять (xájatʹ)to make defamatory statements about another
  • хули́ть (xulítʹ)to make defamatory statements about another
  • поро́чить (poróčitʹ)to make defamatory statements about another
Spanish calumniar
  • calumniarto make defamatory statements about another
Turkish iftira etmek
  • iftira etmekto make defamatory statements about another
Urdu غِیبَت کَرْنا
  • غِیبَت کَرْنا (ġībat karnā)to make defamatory statements about another
Cite this entry
APA

backbite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backbite

MLA

“backbite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backbite. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backbite,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backbite.

Source: backbite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.