as in traitor
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance
a backstabber taking credit for work she didn't do while bad-mouthing the rest of the team to the boss
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of backstabber
Penta then responded with a backstabber of his own as the red hot crowd continued to roar.
—
Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The result is a scathing takedown that will find techies throughout the Valley looking over their shoulders and speculating on who is who amongst the show’s motley collection of fictional backstabbers obsessed with growing their profit margin and amassing wealth and power.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
There were no suggestions that good family friends were liars or backstabbers, no angry exchanges between a man’s wife and the same man’s sister.
—Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Prayer mats lie next to heavy artillery; smoke billows from parked whips; backstabbers get cut first.
—Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The result is a scathing takedown that will find techies throughout the Valley looking over their shoulders and speculating on who is who amongst the show’s motley collection of fictional backstabbers obsessed with growing their profit margin and amassing wealth and power.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
There were no suggestions that good family friends were liars or backstabbers, no angry exchanges between a man’s wife and the same man’s sister.
—Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Prayer mats lie next to heavy artillery; smoke billows from parked whips; backstabbers get cut first.
—Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstabber
traitor
Noun
-
Many people flooded the comments with support for California gubernatorial front-runner Xavier Becerra while admonishing Espina, accusing him of being a traitor for endorsing Tom Steyer.—
Carlos De Loera,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
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Going home would mean the risk of being considered a traitor or an enemy of the state in Russia.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backstabber.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstabber. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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