backstabber

Treacherous supposed ally

A backstabber is someone who pretends friendship while working against you—the image is of attacking someone from behind while embracing them.

The word implies betrayal by a trusted person: I thought she was my ally, but she turned out to be a backstabber.

The verb is backstab; the act is backstabbing.

person

traitor

One who betrays allegiance

turncoatOne who betrays allegiance
double-crosserOne who deceives confederates
JudasArchetypal betrayer name

snake · rat · fink · deceiver · schemer · manipulator · conniver · informant · defector · quisling

behavior

double-cross

Treacherous deception of partner

treacheryDeliberate violation of trust
disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
deceitDeliberate misleading of others

scheming · manipulation · subterfuge · undermining · conniving · duplicity · perfidy · dishonesty · faithlessness · falseness

traits

two-faced

Insincere and deceptive

untrustworthyNot deserving of confidence
disloyalUntrue to commitments
sneakyStealthily deceptive

underhanded · duplicitous · deceitful · sly · cunning · insincere · shifty · treacherous · crafty · guileful

Categories

combat idiomsdodge a bullet, in the crosshairs, fire away, take a shot, under the gun
betrayalbetray, traitor, double-cross, treachery, disloyalty
compound slangairhead, birdbrain, blockhead, bonehead, dimwit
deceiversliar, liars, deceiver, fraud, fake
difficult peopleegomaniac, egotist, nitpicker, drama queen, control freak
Traitorstraitor, turncoat, Judas, Benedict Arnold, defector

Opposites

loyalty and trustworthiness

backstabberloyal friend

Devoted, reliable companion

true friend · loyalist · ride-or-die · faithful friend · faithful companion

Family

backstabbing, backstabbed, backstabbers, backstabbings

Familiarity: Top 50,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated PG