BACKBITING Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

backbiting

noun

as in slander

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of backbiting In the meantime, Democrats have seemingly resolved at least one 2028 fight, a fracas marked by snarking, backbiting and plenty of acrimony — all the things that make our politics such a grand and glorious endeavor. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026 Andy Burnham, Britain’s soon-to-be prime minister, wants an array of bold new policies to attract voters who have grown tired of a Labour government mired in indecision and political backbiting. — Philip Aldrick, Fortune, 28 June 2026 There’s also a fair amount of political mudslinging and backbiting. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026 Albers takes all this in stride, returning to his output as a touchstone, an extension of the real Kertész, beyond the backbiting and self-pity. — New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026 Sadly, Sister Wives has really become an experience of criticism and backbiting. — Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025 The industry functions on a delicate infrastructure of intimidation, backbiting, and the occasional contract amid endless favors, yanking Aasmaan through its machinations like a rag doll in the wind. — Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 19 Sep. 2025 The Girlfriend does not pretend all of this plotting and backbiting isn’t soapy nonsense. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025 The depictions of the New York literati scene, with its backbiting and wary camaraderie, are effective but all too brief. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backbiting

Noun

David Brouillette denied the allegations in court filings and accused the unnamed ex-wife of slander, the AP reports, but she was granted a temporary protective order on behalf of the daughter in 2021.

— Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
The French influencer Eros Brousson strikes again – this time with Waffle House slander.

— Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 June 2026

Definition of slander

Noun

Pratt was just another angry New Yorker hectoring calumnies against all forms of authority.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2026
The declaration also highlights the need to report facts, not suppress or falsify information, and avoid discrimination, bribery, and calumny.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 May 2026

Definition of calumny

Noun

Gibney has never been one to shy away from controversy, but even before Musk’s release, the film drew the ire of its subject and threats of a defamation lawsuit.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 Oct. 2026
Conrad’s legal team includes Camille Vasquez, who was among the attorneys who represented actor Johnny Depp in his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of defamation

Noun

He was cleared of that, but then fell out with a friend who had helped concoct his alibi in the libel case, and was charged with perjury.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 2026
Paul Bettany opened up in a recent interview with The Times about the public’s misconception of his relationship with Johnny Depp after text messages between the two actors were used in court during Depp’s libel lawsuit against The Sun.

— Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of libel

Noun

This appears in defenses of Macklemore’s conduct and the vilification of the owners.

— Kenneth L. Marcus, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
But its cultural dominance became bound up in a widespread vilification of Drake that curdled online, where the most damning interpretation of anything could quickly become the accepted one.

— Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of vilification

Noun

The Tigers’ middling performance against Troy and sloppy play in spurts has cast some aspersions on their aspirations.

— PJ Green September 22, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
Who might emerge as the provocateur of the Premier League touchline and who might cast dark aspersions in press conferences?

— Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of aspersion

Noun

Freedom, mobility; who gets to be an artist; style, ornamentation, artifice; work, leisure; the counterculture; the denigration of femininity; West Coast oddballism.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
For me, this marks an early moment in the denigration of women.

— Eana Kim, ARTnews.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Definition of denigration

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backbeats

backbiting

backbone

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“Backbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backbiting. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of backbiting

noun

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