backbiters
They gossip maliciously
Backbiters are people who speak maliciously about others behind their backs.
The term carries moral weight, suggesting not just gossip but deliberate harm to someone's reputation when they aren't present to defend themselves.
The office backbiters had already spread rumors before she even started the job.
The word appears frequently in religious and literary contexts where betrayal of trust is condemned.
One who spreads unverified talk
- talebearerOne who spreads rumors
- gossipmongerHabitual spreader of rumors
- whispererOne who speaks softly
- scandalmongerSpreader of shameful rumors
blabbermouth · busybody · yenta · tattler · muckraker · slanderer · newsmonger · telltale
One who betrays allegiance
- backstabberDisloyal pretend ally
- turncoatOne who betrays allegiance
- JudasArchetypal betrayer name
- betrayerOne who breaks allegiance
double-crosser · snake · deceiver · two-faced · disloyal · treacherous · perfidious · unfaithful
Petty malicious intent
- venomInjected animal poison
- malevolenceActive ill will
- cattinessSpiteful, sly nastiness
- nastinessSpiteful or foul quality
meanness · viciousness · cruelty · vindictiveness · ill-will · enmity · hostility · animosity
Stealthily deceptive
- underhandedSecretly dishonest or unfair
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
- slyCleverly deceptive
furtive · stealthy · surreptitious · conniving · scheming · insidious · cowardly · clandestine
Spoken false defamation
- libelPrinted defamation
- smearSpread or defame
- calumnyMalicious false statement
- denigrationUnjust attack on reputation
vilification · mudslinging · aspersion · disparagement · traducement · besmirchment · detraction · maligning
rumormonger
One who spreads unverified talk
- talebearerOne who spreads rumors
- gossipmongerHabitual spreader of rumors
- whispererOne who speaks softly
scandalmonger · blabbermouth · busybody · yenta · tattler · muckraker · slanderer · newsmonger · telltale · snoop
traitor
One who betrays allegiance
- backstabberDisloyal pretend ally
- turncoatOne who betrays allegiance
- JudasArchetypal betrayer name
betrayer · double-crosser · snake · deceiver · two-faced · disloyal · treacherous · perfidious · unfaithful · renegade
spite
Petty malicious intent
- venomInjected animal poison
- malevolenceActive ill will
- cattinessSpiteful, sly nastiness
nastiness · meanness · viciousness · cruelty · vindictiveness · ill-will · enmity · hostility · animosity · bitterness
sneaky
Stealthily deceptive
- underhandedSecretly dishonest or unfair
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
sly · furtive · stealthy · surreptitious · conniving · scheming · insidious · cowardly · clandestine · deceitful
slander
Spoken false defamation
denigration · vilification · mudslinging · aspersion · disparagement · traducement · besmirchment · detraction · maligning · badmouthing
- criticscritic, critics, criticizer, criticizers, faultfinder
backbiterssupporters
People who back something
champions · advocates · defenders · encouragers · boosters