backbiting

noun

as in slander

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Example Sentences

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 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 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
  1. slander
  2. calumny
  3. defamation
  4. libel
  5. vilification
  6. disparagement
  7. aspersion
  8. denigration
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
  • Exasperated, the Justice Department filed a formal discrimination suit, whereupon Cohn countersued the government for defamation, seeking a hundred million dollars in damages.
    — Kai Bird, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Miller, who is running for reelection, has denied the allegations and has sued his ex-wife for defamation.
    — Diana Paulsen, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of defamation
Noun
  • In response, Baldoni — and nine other plaintiffs, including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel — sued the newspaper for libel and false light invasion of privacy, among other claims, over the article, and sought $250 million in damages.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026
  • Wayfarer has since pushed back against Lively's request for $8 million in legal fees over Wayfarer's libel suit.
    — KiMi Robinson, USA Today, 28 July 2026
Definition of libel
Noun
  • His one talent was his ability to foresee that the vilification of ambitious and successful people might lead to the political mass resentment and hatred for such individuals.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 9 July 2026
  • As vilification of the Founders and the Revolution became more common, both in academia and in society at large, Wood functioned as part elder statesman and part lightning rod.
    — Craig Bruce Smith, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Definition of vilification
Noun
  • Asserting claims for tortious interference, civil conspiracy, commercial disparagement and violations of Illinois consumer fraud laws, the Butlers sought more than $50 million in compensatory damages and over $200 million in punitive damages.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 22 June 2026
  • These disparagements cut to the core of southern manhood.
    — Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
Definition of disparagement
Noun
  • Amid aspersions and attack ads, the pair nearly came to blows at a community debate.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
  • Not Calvin Klein casting gay aspersions!
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2026
Definition of aspersion
Noun
  • For me, this marks an early moment in the denigration of women.
    — Eana Kim, ARTnews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Nowhere is there the vitriol or denigration found in MAGA gatherings.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Definition of denigration

Browse Nearby Words

backbeats
backbiting
backbone
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Cite this Entry

“Backbiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backbiting. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of backbiting for Spanish Speakers

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