as in treachery
the act or fact of violating the trust or confidence of another
a reality TV show that seems to have raised backstabbing to an art form
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in betraying
to be unfaithful or disloyal to
knew what it felt like to be backstabbed by a so-called friend
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backstabbing
Jordana Comiter, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
People were polite on the surface, but beneath that facade there was a pervasive undercurrent of gossip, backstabbing and insincerity.
—Margaret Graziano, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
In managing Trump to victory, Wiles showed real skill in tamping down egos, minimizing leaking, and limiting the backstabbing.
—Tevi Troy, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Feb. 2025
And fundamentally, palace coups were about personal relations in the corridors of power: naked ambitions and the backstabbing of rivals.
—Sergey Radchenko, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for backstabbing
Noun
Who won season 3 of The Traitors? After weeks of backstabbing, lies and deceit, four Faithfuls (the most in the show's history!) came out on top in the end of season 3: Windey, Efron, Catania and Mountbatten.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
People were polite on the surface, but beneath that facade there was a pervasive undercurrent of gossip, backstabbing and insincerity.
—Margaret Graziano, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
In managing Trump to victory, Wiles showed real skill in tamping down egos, minimizing leaking, and limiting the backstabbing.
—Tevi Troy, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Feb. 2025
And fundamentally, palace coups were about personal relations in the corridors of power: naked ambitions and the backstabbing of rivals.
—Sergey Radchenko, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for backstabbing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstabbing
Noun
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Press play below to learn more about Wells’ treachery, and to get a sneak peek at the fugitive interacting with her latest target.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
7 Apr. 2025
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Sinners is one of the great vampire movies of the modern age, mining the legend of these perpetual outsiders who desperately yearn to belong, but whose silky promises are rooted in treachery.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Michael Fassbender stars as George, a chilly veteran British operative who’s given a list of five possible agents who might be betraying the organization.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
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When Kathryn is suspected of betraying the nation, George must decide what is more important — his wife or his country.—
Julia Teti,
WWD,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Blasting his policies as a betrayal of the nation’s founding principles, the former vice president warned of a looming constitutional crisis.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2025
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The top Senate Democrat's support for the bill moving forward, in which he was joined by nine other members of the chamber's Democratic Caucus, prevented a government shutdown, but was seen by many in his party as a betrayal.—
Jason Lemon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstabbing. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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