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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 14 Aug. 2025
The best crime drama streaming has it all: feuding mob families, backstabbing, feds, snitches, violence, fantastic needle drops, and multiple conversations about ziti.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Through backstabbing, alliances and thrilling competition, players have the chance to win $4.56 million — a fraction of the 45.6 billion won that's offered in the fictional Squid Game.
—Skyler Trepel, People.com, 30 June 2025
Josh Kroenke fired his coach and president of basketball operations in April to end years of not-so-secret intra-office backstabbing and rancor.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstabbing
Noun
The Traitors fans, now’s your chance to do a little backstabbing of your own.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 14 Aug. 2025
The best crime drama streaming has it all: feuding mob families, backstabbing, feds, snitches, violence, fantastic needle drops, and multiple conversations about ziti.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Through backstabbing, alliances and thrilling competition, players have the chance to win $4.56 million — a fraction of the 45.6 billion won that's offered in the fictional Squid Game.
—Skyler Trepel, People.com, 30 June 2025
Josh Kroenke fired his coach and president of basketball operations in April to end years of not-so-secret intra-office backstabbing and rancor.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for backstabbing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstabbing
Noun
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When does compromise become treachery or defeat?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
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Could Juno be behind this treachery, as payback for David destroying her spy corporation and for changing his oldest daughter into a killer?—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This time, though, his radar had been skewed, betraying a player with fewer than 400 minutes of top-flight experience to his name before Saturday’s game.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
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And there’s also the suggestion that Michaela believes Simone is betraying the feminist cause by settling at such a young age for the role of plus-one to a wealthy man who treats his relationships like a transaction.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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After jumping between two worlds in the first half of the season, John Cena’s Chris Smith finally moves to the parallel universe to be a better man, a decision partly prompted by a heartbreaking betrayal.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
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She is caught up in a delusion, convinced that her imaginary accomplice Libardo is accusing her of betrayal.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstabbing. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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