as in treachery
the act or fact of violating the trust or confidence of another
a reality TV show that seems to have raised backstabbing to an art form
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in betraying
to be unfaithful or disloyal to
knew what it felt like to be backstabbed by a so-called friend
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of backstabbing
Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
But the hardest part of the novel wasn’t scripting the scheming, backstabbing, or duplicitous behavior.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Play Now Toni’s blasé egotism is mostly consistent across a film filled with conspiracy, backstabbing, and political fallout.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
The backstabbing gives the show its spiky, durable spine—but its belief in individual people’s potential, its love of adventure, its obsession with redemption, reclamation, and rebirth?
—David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backstabbing
Noun
This 2000s teen drama delivers relationship drama, backstabbing, layered characters, and an ominous anonymous blogger chronicling all of it.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
But the hardest part of the novel wasn’t scripting the scheming, backstabbing, or duplicitous behavior.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Play Now Toni’s blasé egotism is mostly consistent across a film filled with conspiracy, backstabbing, and political fallout.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
The backstabbing gives the show its spiky, durable spine—but its belief in individual people’s potential, its love of adventure, its obsession with redemption, reclamation, and rebirth?
—David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backstabbing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstabbing
Noun
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Inflamed by Ratansen’s adviser’s account of Padmavati’s beauty, Alauddin Khalji storms the fortress by treachery rather than valor.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
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But Bateman's treachery also had a distinctly silly side.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Fans of Summer House have been eager to find out whether Batula and Wilson would take accountability at the reunion for betraying Miller.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
26 Apr. 2026
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The go-to resource for mapping out those periods is the app EskomSePush (the name of which is a cheeky double entendre in Afrikkans, betraying the public annoyance).—
Abbey Hudetz,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The friendship betrayal/love triangle of Ciara Miller, West Wilson, and Amanda Batula is still being dissected through thousands of TikTok and Instagram comments.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2026
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The betrayal of Zambada sparked a vicious battle for control of the Sinaloa cartel that has resulted in thousands of deaths.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backstabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstabbing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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