backbiting

noun

Definition of backbitingnext
as in slander

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backbiting
  1. slander
  2. calumny
  3. defamation
  4. libel
  5. vilification
  6. aspersion
  7. detraction
Noun
  • Andy Reid is not happy about the Taylor Swift slander.
    — Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 26 Feb. 2025
  • Melissa Gilbert will not stand for any Little House on the Prairie slander.
    — Julia Moore, People.com, 31 Jan. 2025
Definition of slander
Noun
  • That brings us to the other calumnies Vance and Trump have directed at the Haitians in Springfield.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024
  • Sifton and Stern conclude their book with a look at how even after the Nazis’ defeat, the Bonhoeffer and Dohnanyi families faced public and official calumny for being relatives of traitors.
    — Peter Hoffmann, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2014
Definition of calumny
Noun
  • After a federal court dismissed the lawsuit in 2019, Energy Transfer filed a defamation lawsuit in state court.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The Tate brothers also have an ongoing defamation lawsuit in the Palm Beach Circuit Court.
    — Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of defamation
Noun
  • On New Year’s Eve, Baldoni and nine other plaintiffs, including crisis publicist Melissa Nathan and Abel sued the New York Times for $250 million for libel.
    — Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Lively also advances procedural arguments to dismiss the defamation claims, including that Baldoni brought his lawsuit past the one year window to sue for libel.
    — Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of libel
Noun
  • The trial became a staging ground for an effort that would permeate his presidential campaign and first weeks in office: vilification of judges who cross Mr. Trump.
    — Graham Kates, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2025
  • In his first five episodes, Newsom has mostly capitulated to right-wing guests, agreeing with them on issues such as trans women competing in sports and the vilification of white men.
    — David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of vilification
Noun
  • Any aspersions for the prevalence of fake Louis Vuitton should be cast on Canal Street in New York, not in France.
    — Marcus Thompson II, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Even as China’s coercive capabilities and threatening behavior have rightly focused U.S. attention on the risks to American interests, the absence of clear metrics for success leaves the door open for partisan aspersions of the Biden administration’s approach.
    — Jessica Chen Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2024
Definition of aspersion
Noun
  • The main detraction with these was a less comfortable fit.
    — Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Many smart investors, among them, several of my colleagues, cannot warm up to these stocks because of such obvious detractions as the lack of new products, patent expirations, and price controls.
    — Karen Firestone, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2024
Definition of detraction
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.

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 3 Apr. 2025.

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