backbite vs vituperate

backbite

verb
  • To attack from behind or when out of earshot with spiteful or defamatory remarks. 

  • To speak badly of an absent individual. 

  • To make spiteful slanderous or defamatory statements about someone. 

noun
  • One who engages in backbiting; a backbiter. 

vituperate

verb
  • To attack (someone or something) with abusive language; to revile, to vilify. 

  • To criticize (someone or something) in an abusive or harsh manner. 

  • To use abusive or harsh words. 

adj
  • Of, characterized by, or relating to abusive or harsh criticism. 

  • Which has been abusively or harshly criticized; also, deserving harsh criticism. 

How often have the words backbite and vituperate occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )