backbiting
3
6.7
- noun
- /ˈbækˌbaɪtɪŋ/
:
habladuría
- In the office, constant backbiting created a toxic environment where trust was shattered.
My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second guessing inappropriately or drama.
- My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second guessing inappropriately or drama.
- So he talks about idle backbiting, filthy communication, jesting, foolish talking.
- When there's probably been some type of collaboration, you know, some some probably been some backbiting involved.
- And what you're seeing a lot of is backbiting on their side and finger pointing on on people to blame for their failures.
- They love all the backbiting, and frankly, they love the power that comes from being able to treat everyone like puppets in their own personal game.
Examples
-
Such appointments ensured loyalty, but they also encouraged backbiting among officers in search of upward mobility.
Academic text (1990) -
I was prepared for ignorance, outrage, and backbiting; what I was not prepared for was an ongoing discussion about disenfranchisement.
Blog text (13) -
It's precisely this kind of backbiting that tires me out.
Blog text (17) -
The tongue must be restrained from backbiting and gossip.
Blog text (6) -
Television in its first years lived in this atmosphere of backbiting and defamation and fear, which I'm sure had an enormous effect on its future.
-
My team and I will not tolerate backbiting, second guessing inappropriately or drama.
-
The breach of confidentiality that can cause mistrust from the administration is getting involved in rumors, gossip, or backbiting.
Academic text (2003) -
I think most readers would agree that a remarkable amount of backbiting and strident squawking rends the field of African art.
Academic text (2001) -
Presidential aides expect and deserve it from one another to deter leaks, backbiting, and factionalism.
Academic text (1999) -
Franklin would not understate the required level of commitment and sacrifice of running for public office, especially given today's highly partisan climate of backbiting, poor demeanor, and low morale in Washington, DC.
Academic text (2003)
Synonyms
11
9.8
A remark that says bad things about someone to hurt their reputation
9
4.8
Making unfair personal attacks to damage someone's reputation in politics
7
1.7
Talking about other people's personal lives in a casual way
5
6.6
A remark that makes someone feel small or embarrassed
3
8.1
Talking about someone in a way that shows dislike and makes them seem unimportant
1
7.3
Rumours that try to hurt someone's reputation by spreading private facts
1
9.9
A way of talking and acting that is mean and hurts people
1
7.1
Making someone feel small or unimportant
Spreading private stories about others to harm or entertain people
A talk where people say mean things about others, often behind their backs
Mean words or actions that secretly hurt people in a social group
A mean remark that hurts or criticizes someone
Showing that someone or something has little value
How Harmful
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Backbiting comes from the simple words back ('behind someone's back') and bite ('to bite' or 'hurt'). It gives the image of someone 'biting' another when they are not there, which is why backbiting means saying unpleasant or harmful things about someone who is absent.