assassinate vs backstab

assassinate

verb
  • To harm, ruin, or defame severely or destroy by treachery, slander, libel, or obscure attack. 

  • To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons. 

backstab

verb
  • to attack someone (especially verbally) unfairly in a deceitful, underhand, or treacherous manner, especially when they're not present in the place or situation that it happens. (as if stabbing them in the back). See backbite. 

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