faithless

adjective

faith·​less ˈfāth-ləs How to pronounce faithless (audio)
1
: not true to allegiance or duty : treacherous, disloyal
a faithless servant
2
: not to be relied on : untrustworthy
a faithless tool
faithlessly adverb
faithlessness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for faithless

faithless, false, disloyal, traitorous, treacherous, perfidious mean untrue to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance.

faithless applies to any failure to keep a promise or pledge or any breach of allegiance or loyalty.

faithless allies

false stresses the fact of failing to be true in any manner ranging from fickleness to cold treachery.

betrayed by false friends

disloyal implies a lack of complete faithfulness to a friend, cause, leader, or country.

disloyal to their country

traitorous implies either actual treason or a serious betrayal of trust.

traitorous acts punishable by death

treacherous implies readiness to betray trust or confidence.

a treacherous adviser

perfidious adds to faithless the implication of an incapacity for fidelity or reliability.

a perfidious double-crosser

Examples of faithless in a Sentence

faithless friends who deserted him in his time of need
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
But, these faithless actors have never changed the outcome of an election. Solcyré Burga, TIME, 28 Oct. 2024 Since Biden is no longer in the running, they won't be considered faithless. Kaleigh Rogers, ABC News, 23 July 2024 Nellore admits to being of faithless background yet criticizes people of faith. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 Mar. 2024 Image In the Patricia Highsmith novel and the subsequent Hitchcock movie that introduced this intriguing plot to the public, the would-be victims are mere annoyances — a critical father, a faithless wife. Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for faithless 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English feithles, from feith faith entry 1 + -les -less

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of faithless was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near faithless

Cite this Entry

“Faithless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faithless. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

faithless

adjective
faith·​less ˈfāth-ləs How to pronounce faithless (audio)
1
: not true to allegiance or duty : disloyal
2
: not worthy of being trusted or relied upon
faithlessly adverb
faithlessness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on faithless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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