Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| نَمِيمَة | namīma | feminine |
| إِشَاعَة | ʔišāʕa | feminine |
| غِيبَة | ḡība | feminine |
Gossip in Arabic can refer to different types of idle or harmful talk, such as spreading rumors to cause discord, backbiting or simply empty conversation.
Which one should you use?
The specific word you choose depends on the nature of the talk: نَمِيمَة refers to tale-bearing or spreading rumors between people to create discord. غِيبَة refers to backbiting, which is speaking ill of someone behind their back even if the information is true. إِشَاعَة is used for a specific rumor or a piece of news circulating without verification.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb اِغْتَابَ is the active form used to describe the act of backbiting or gossiping about someone. All the noun forms provided are feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
namīma
When do people say it?
In Islamic ethics, both نَمِيمَة and غِيبَة are considered serious sins because they involve the violation of a person's honor.
Did you know?
- In Arabic, backbiting or غِيبَة is metaphorically described as eating the 'flesh of one's dead brother'. This vivid imagery illustrates the extreme gravity of the act in many social and religious contexts.
- In traditional Arabic rhetoric, غِيبَة is literally 'speaking of someone in their absence', derived from the root for 'absence' or 'disappearing'.
- Arabic has a distinct term إِشَاعَة for rumors that spread like a wildfire, which shares a root with the word for 'radiating' or 'spreading' light.
Examples in context
- النميمة تُدمّر العلاقات الاجتماعيةGossip destroys social relationships
- التفوه بالأقاويل لا يجدي نتيجةEngaging in idle talk leads to no result
- الكلام الفاضي مليء بالشائعاتEmpty talk is filled with rumors
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gossip” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
