What does backbitten mean?
'Backbitten' is the past participle of the verb 'to backbite', which means to speak spitefully or slanderously about someone who is not present to defend themselves. To say a person has been backbitten is to say they have been the target of such behind-the-scenes attacks. The word appears mainly in literary, moral, and formal writing, and it carries a distinctly negative charge: it implies both malice on the part of the speaker and helplessness on the part of the victim, since the harm is done in secret. It can also be used adjectivally, as in 'a backbitten reputation', to describe someone or something whose standing has been damaged by covert gossip. Related forms include 'backbite', 'backbiter', and 'backbiting'. Because the term pairs the ordinary word 'bite' with the idea of attack from behind, it vividly captures the treachery of whispered criticism — making it a useful and evocative word for describing reputations wounded by slander rather than open dispute.
Past participle of 'backbite': having been maliciously criticized or slandered behind one's back.
"He had been so often backbitten by supposed friends that he trusted almost no one."
Used with 'have/has/had been' or passively; rare outside literary and moral contexts.
Marked or damaged by malicious behind-the-back talk; (of a person or reputation) harmed by slander.
"Her backbitten reputation took years to recover."
Adjectival use is less common than the participial sense.
You can be bitten by a dog once — but be 'backbitten' and it's the people smiling at you who did the damage.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of backbitten
The word derives from 'backbite', a compound of 'back' and 'bite' formed within English, first attested around the early thirteenth century in Middle English. The metaphor is physical: just as a biting animal wounds with its teeth, a backbiter wounds with words delivered from behind, where they cannot be parried. The verb 'bite' itself descends from Old English 'bītan', a common Germanic strong verb, and shares its ancient Indo-European root with words such as 'bait' and 'beetle'. 'Backbitten' is simply the regular past participle of this compound verb, formed like other -bite verbs.
Related word forms
How backbitten is actually used
'Backbitten' is somewhat formal and literary in register, appearing most often in narrative prose and moral commentary rather than everyday conversation. It carries a strongly negative connotation of betrayal and cowardice, since the criticism happens out of the victim's hearing. It functions primarily as the past participle of 'backbite' but can also serve adjectivally.
Easily confused with backbitten
'Backbite' is the base verb meaning to slander someone behind their back, while 'backbitten' is its past participle describing someone who has already been so maligned.
'Bitten' means physically wounded by a bite, whereas 'backbitten' refers specifically to being verbally attacked or slandered behind one's back.