backbite

/'bækbait/

Thân thiện

A coworker backbites about her colleague during a coffee break.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To speak maliciously or slanderously about someone who is not present; to say mean, critical, or damaging things about an absent person.

Usage

• The verb "backbite" is used to describe the act of making negative, often untrue, remarks about someone when they are not there to defend themselves. It implies a lack of courage and a breach of trust.
• It is typically used in contexts involving gossip, personal conflict, or unethical social behavior.
• Grammatical Note: It is an irregular verb: backbite (present) – backbit (past simple) – backbitten (past participle).

Examples

• Verb:
  • It is unkind to backbite your colleagues instead of addressing concerns directly.
  • She was hurt to discover that her so-called friends had been backbiting her for months.
  • He had backbit his neighbor, only to feel ashamed later.

Advanced Usage

• "To be backbitten": To be the target of such malicious talk.
  • Despite her kindness, she was often backbitten by jealous rivals.

Variants and Related Words

• Backbiter (noun): A person who habitually speaks ill of others behind their back.
  • He gained a reputation as a notorious backbiter in the office.
• Backbiting (noun/gerund): The act or instance of speaking maliciously about an absent person.
  • The office was filled with gossip and backbiting.

Synonyms

• Malign: To speak about someone in a spitefully critical manner.
• Defame: To damage the good reputation of someone.
• Slander: To make false and damaging statements about someone.
• Badmouth (informal): To criticize someone disparagingly.

Antonyms

• Praise: To express warm approval or admiration.
• Compliment: To politely express praise or admiration.
• Defend: To speak or write in support of someone.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Speak ill of the dead: To criticize someone who has died (a specific, proverbial form of backbiting considered especially wrong).
  • It's considered poor form to speak ill of the dead.
• Stab someone in the back: To betray someone (this idiom shares the metaphorical sense of a covert, damaging attack, often through words).
  • He pretended to be my friend but stabbed me in the back with his rumors.

Học thuật

Verb

1. say mean things

Từ đồng nghĩa

• bitch