What does backstabber mean?
A backstabber is a person who betrays someone who trusted them, typically through secret or deceptive means rather than open confrontation. The term is a compound of "back" and "stabber," evoking the image of an attacker striking from behind, and it functions as a vivid metaphor for disloyalty in personal relationships, workplaces, and politics. It is always pejorative: calling someone a backstabber accuses them not merely of betrayal but of cowardice and hypocrisy, since the harm is done covertly while friendship or allegiance is feigned openly. The word appears frequently in informal speech, workplace gossip, and political commentary — for example, describing a colleague who undermines a rival behind their back. Related forms include the verb "backstab" (to betray someone) and the noun "backstabbing" (the act itself). Its emotional force and clear imagery make it one of English's most recognizable terms for treacherous behavior.
nounA person who betrays a friend, colleague, or ally, especially through treacherous or deceitful actions done behind their back.
- A person who betrays the trust of a friend, colleague, or ally through secretive or deceitful action.
"She trusted him completely, never suspecting that the quiet man beside her was the office's most notorious backstabber."
"After years of loyalty to the firm, he was stunned to discover that his mentor was the real backstabber."
"In palace politics, every smile may hide a backstabber waiting for the right moment."
Regular plural formation.
"History books are full of backstabbers who rose to power through deception."
The word says it literally: a backstabber strikes from behind — because they'd never dare face you while doing it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of backstabber
Backstabber is formed by compounding "back" with "stabber," the agent noun from the verb "stab." The underlying verb "stab," meaning to pierce with a pointed weapon, appeared in English around the sixteenth century, though its ultimate origin remains uncertain. The figurative sense — betraying a trusting person — developed naturally from the image of a physical attack delivered from behind, and compounds like "backstab" and "backstabber" became established in English in the nineteenth century. There are no direct cognates in other languages, as the word is an internal English formation built on native Germanic roots shared with words like "stab" and "strike."
Related word forms
How backstabber is actually used
Informal and strongly pejorative; used in everyday speech and journalism rather than formal academic writing. It carries connotations of cowardice as well as disloyalty, since the betrayal happens secretly rather than openly.
Easily confused with backstabber
Backstabbing refers to the act of betrayal itself, while a backstabber is the person who commits it.