backfriend

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ˈbækˌfrɛnd/ UK /ˈbækˌfrɛnd/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a false friend or secret enemy

Beware the backfriend who flatters you to your face and slanders you behind it.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a false friend or secret enemy enemy betrayer foe traitor

Opposites

friend ally

Word family

Related forms back friend

Etymology

From back + friend, originally a friend in name only who works behind one's back; an archaic English compound.

bæc Old English frēond Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

# backfriend

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈbækˌfrɛnd
**IPA (UK):** ˈbækˌfrɛnd

## Meanings
1. a false friend or secret enemy

## Examples
- Beware the backfriend who flatters you to your face and slanders you behind it.

## Synonyms
- enemy
- betrayer
- foe
- traitor

## Antonyms
- friend
- ally

## Related Forms
- back
- friend

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: bæc
- Root: frēond

## Etymology
From back + friend, originally a friend in name only who works behind one's back; an archaic English compound.

## AI Etymology
Backfriend is a noun meaning "a false friend or secret enemy". Historically, it is from back + friend, originally a friend in name only who works behind one's back; an archaic English compound. The visible construction is part of the etymology: backfriend is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The historical chain links Old English bæc with Old English frēond. Close English family members include back, and friend. This keeps the modern noun sense tied to the older forms and language sequence behind it.

## Topics
- People & Society

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backfriend

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