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Backbiting vs Calumny - What's the difference?

backbiting | calumny |

As nouns the difference between backbiting and calumny

is that backbiting is the action of slandering a person without that person's knowledge while calumny is a falsification or misrepresentation intended to disparage or discredit another.

As an adjective backbiting

is slandering or speaking badly of a person without that person's knowledge.

As a verb backbiting

is present participle of lang=en.

backbiting

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) bacbiting, bacbitung, equivalent to .

Noun

(en noun)
  • The action of slandering a person without that person's knowledge.
  • * 1303 , Robert Manning of Brune, Handlyng synne
    • No custummable bakbytyng God....
  • * 1862 , Anthony Trollope, Orley Farm
    • Not given to backbiting .

    Etymology 2

    From backbite.

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Slandering or speaking badly of a person without that person's knowledge.
  • * 1580 , Thomas Tusser, A hundreth good pointes of husbandrie
    • Backbiting talk that flattering blabs know wily how to blenge.
  • * 1873 , Rhoda Broughton, Nancy
    • Am I to have a backbiting wife?

    Verb

    (head)

    • calumny

    English

    Noun

    (calumnies)
  • A falsification or misrepresentation intended to disparage or discredit another.
    • Accusations of abuse were pure extortive calumny in a malicious bid to make money .
  • False charges brought about to tarnish another's reputation or standing.

    • Derived terms

    * calumniate

    Synonyms

    * defamation * obloquy * vilification * See also