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Backbiting vs Slandering - What's the difference?

backbiting | slandering |

As nouns the difference between backbiting and slandering

is that backbiting is the action of slandering a person without that person's knowledge while slandering is the act of committing slander.

As verbs the difference between backbiting and slandering

is that backbiting is while slandering is .

As an adjective backbiting

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

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)

    • slandering

    English

    Verb

    (head)

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of committing slander.
  • * 1862 , William Cobbett, Advice to Young Men, and (incidentally) to Young Women
    • Here are the slanderings , too, going on at home; for, while the husbands are assembled, it would be hard if the wives were not to do the same; and the very least that is to be expected is, that the tea-pot should keep pace with the porter-pot

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