Do they talk behind your back? Can't help but talk bad about people? (2023)

FAQs

What is it called when someone talks bad about you behind your back? ›

Gossip, which is talking about someone behind their back, is wrong. And wrong actions have bad or negative consequences. It will always inevitably reap wrong, negative and/or hurtful things. You do reap what you sow.

It's a sign of their own immaturity, low self-esteem, insecurity, or jealousy. There are even those that love to gossip to the point that it's almost a hobby for them. When someone talks about you behind your back they're often looking for acceptance, as an attempt to fit in.

scandalmonger. noun. someone who tells people bad and shocking things about other people, especially things that are not true.

people gossip for a variety of reasons: To feel superior. Many people who are insecure about themselves find temporary relief in judging others. Knowing something that others don't can feel empowering, and sometimes, that's all an uncertain gossiper needs.

People gossip to feel like they belong to a group. They use speaking badly of people as a way to undermine rivals and establish alliances. When two people speak ill of a third, they form a kind of alliance. To gossip is to try to be inside of possible attacks of opponents.

badmouth Add to list Share. Other forms: badmouthing; badmouthed; badmouths. If you badmouth someone, you say unkind or critical things about them. A good friend won't ever badmouth you behind your back.

Don't take it personally. You can deal with people talking about you behind your back by remembering that their words are a reflection of them, not you. You can't choose what others say about you, but you can choose how you react to it. Write off gossiping as something the other person needed to do for themselves.

If the gossip is detrimental, have their manager or a member of your HR team speak to the individual. Malicious Gossip. If the employee is purposefully sharing false information, it could be considered harassment, discrimination, retaliation, slander, or defamation.

Oral defamation is called "slander." If it's in writing, than it's called "libel."

Why do people like to badmouth others? ›

Badmouthing others can bring social power and may make the speaker seem more confident. Prosocial behavior can also be a route to social success, however, and comes with little risk of long-term penalties.

Idiom: bad mouth (someone)

— My mother said that if she catches me bad mouthing anyone again, online or offline, she'll take away my cell phone. — I'm in so much trouble. I think my boss overheard me bad mouthing him today in the lunchroom.

Apologize swiftly, Knight said, and take the middle ground; admit fault, but do not belabor the point. In your apology, let the person know you intended the message for someone else, Knight said. Tell the person you are embarrassed and sorry that the message was sent to them by mistake.

If you want to confront the person spreading gossip about you, Robert Willer, a researcher at Stanford University, suggests you "Approach the person in a sympathetic, nonconfrontational way, so that you can win their sympathies." Offering your perspective can help.

Gossip comes from the Old English word god-sibb, or godparent. It was a term given to a woman's close female friend after the birth of her child, a word reflecting the powerful bond between them. But somewhere along the way, it gained a bad connotation.

If someone comes to you with some kind of gossip or rumor or toxic talk, a very simple, “I have absolutely no opinion about that at all,” is an easy way to stop the conversation in it's tracks. It's a refusal to engage. Boom, done, that's it. And don't respond otherwise.

Sometimes, the main reason behind gossiping is envy and jealousy. When someone is envious of someone else, he might gossip about him in order to let people hate him.

The Basic Elements of Bad-Mouthing

Joe's power may largely stem from fear and intimidation, an approach to social interactions often framed as the Machiavellian side of the Dark Triad (see Jonason et al. 2015), a cluster of anti-social traits that typifies a manipulative and intimidating social strategy.

gossiper Add to list Share. Other forms: gossipers. A gossiper is someone who talks eagerly and casually about other people. If you like to spread rumors and hear the latest news about your friends, you might be a gossiper. When you gossip, you talk enthusiastically about other people's news or business.

How do you deal with haters and gossips? ›

Confront the source of the rumor directly.

Say something polite yet direct, like: "Hey. I want you to know that I don't appreciate the things you've been saying about me. Please stop." Then, just walk away—this person doesn't deserve your time. Ignore any insults you hear as you're walking away.

Other forms: innuendoes; innuendos. Speaking in innuendo is when you say something indirectly — often of a hurtful or sexual nature. Innuendo in Latin means "to point to" or "nod to." When you refer to something indirectly, you point at it without mentioning it, making an innuendo.

Gossips are desperate and immature people. They need drama, love conflict and are so deeply unconfident they feel compelled to tell and spread false accusations and stories about others in order to feel a sense of superiority, or to be able to play the ultimate role of the victim.

Social scientists study positive, negative, and neutral forms of gossip.

Gossiping gives you the power to make other people see the world the way you do. By badmouthing someone, you can manipulate relationships and damage people.

On this page you'll find 202 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to bad-mouthing, such as: blame, castigation, censure, curse, curses, and defamation.

It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.

If your comments are severe or frequent, you could be charged with harassment. In some cases, you may also be sued for defamation if you make false statements about someone on social media. A case of an employee bad-mouthing another employee can quickly get out of hand.

synonyms for foul-mouthed

bawdy. boorish. crass.

What are the psychological effects of gossip? ›

These include a negative impact on the person's self-confidence, work or school performance, home life and mental health. People who have been the subject of gossip have been shown to develop depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and eating disorders. Plus it is never just the person that is targeted that is affected.

Venting is sometimes necessary to productively express frustration about a person or a problem—but gossiping isn't. Gossip is spread maliciously while venting relieves pent-up frustration. Gossiping is ill-intentioned and mean-spirited and can cause destruction of a person's humanity or reputation.

Proverbs 20:19 – “He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip.” Proverbs 25:9-10 - “…don't reveal the secret of another, lest he who hears it reproach you, and the evil report about you not pass away.”

Here are but three scriptures that speak to us against letting ourselves fall into gossip and slander and other harmful words. Colossians 3:8: “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.”

Gossip is informal conversation, often about other people's private affairs. He spent the first hour talking gossip. There has been much gossip about the possible reasons for his absence. If you gossip with someone, you talk informally, especially about other people or local events.

Definitions of gossiper. a person given to gossiping and divulging personal information about others. synonyms: gossip, gossipmonger, newsmonger, rumormonger, rumourmonger.

synonyms for bad-mouth

On this page you'll find 47 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to bad-mouth, such as: belittle, criticize, cut down to size, dis, disparage, and dump on.

Condescension is an insulting way of talking to other people, as if they were stupid or ignorant. Condescension is rude and patronizing. Treating someone with condescension is the opposite of treating them with respect.

What do you call a person who spreads rumors? ›

Definition of gossiper. as in gossip. a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts about others the exact nature of the relationship between the two coworkers was a topic that kept the office gossipers too busy to do any work.

phoney. adjective. informal someone who is phoney pretends to be friendly, clever, kind etc.

Often, insults are also the result of a perceived threat. When we believe that a person threatens or frustrates our plans, we respond by insulting him or her. In fact, insulting a person is a relatively common response when we believe that he or she has violated the social norms and values ​​with which we identify.

Being in the right state of mind is the most important first step of dealing with an insult, because simply being reactionary is playing to their tunes. So, first step is to look at them, calmly or humorously and focus on a couple of deep breaths to calm down.

Condescending behavior is having or showing a feeling of patronizing superiority; showing that you consider yourself better or more intelligent. It is usually intended to make people feel bad about not knowing or having something and it often works.

patronizing, disdainful, supercilious.

In egocentrism, you're unable to see someone else's point of view; but in narcissism, you may see that view but not care about it. Going even one step further, people high in narcissism become annoyed or even enraged when others fail to see things their way.