Synonym Chooser

How is the word traitorous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of traitorous are disloyal, faithless, false, perfidious, and treacherous. While all these words mean "untrue to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance," traitorous implies either actual treason or a serious betrayal of trust.

traitorous acts punishable by death

Where would disloyal be a reasonable alternative to traitorous?

The words disloyal and traitorous can be used in similar contexts, but disloyal implies a lack of complete faithfulness to a friend, cause, leader, or country.

disloyal to their country

When could faithless be used to replace traitorous?

The words faithless and traitorous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, faithless applies to any failure to keep a promise or pledge or any breach of allegiance or loyalty.

faithless allies

When is it sensible to use false instead of traitorous?

While in some cases nearly identical to traitorous, false stresses the fact of failing to be true in any manner ranging from fickleness to cold treachery.

betrayed by false friends

How do perfidious and faithless relate to one another, in the sense of traitorous?

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

a perfidious double-crosser

In what contexts can treacherous take the place of traitorous?

Although the words treacherous and traitorous have much in common, treacherous implies readiness to betray trust or confidence.

a treacherous adviser

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of traitorous Simultaneously, Hal is on a call with President Rayburn to brief him on Penn's traitorous schemes. Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024 Assassinations first target Republicans deemed traitorous. Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024 But seeing the speed with which Homelander zaps a hole in one traitorous employee’s head scares her into staying. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 13 June 2024 Amid this chaos, Penn shows up in London, subtly manipulating British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) into keeping the whole traitorous scheme under wraps. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for traitorous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traitorous
Adjective
  • Kim Soo Hyun also claimed that many text messages that had been distributed online, purportedly between him and Kim Sae-ron, were false.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Nothing progressive or compassionate about continuing that false hope which attracts people to make those journeys.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Their stories are full of danger: treacherous rivers, unforgiving terrain, and the constant threat of violence and exploitation.
    Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
  • But in between lies a tense and treacherous journey…In Wolof and French with English subtitles.
    Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This wasn’t merely a technical glitch but a life-altering ordeal for someone who faced serious criminal charges based on algorithms that proved unreliable.
    Lars Daniel, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Flashbacks featuring both what actually happened in the White House that evening and versions presented by unreliable witnesses accompany the investigation.
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Many observers also fear that Trump's Justice Department will prosecute his political opponents — not just Democrats, but also Republicans who are perceived as disloyal.
    Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2025
  • She’s hurt by a lover’s betrayal, but more hurt that her suspicions of his disloyal nature were proven right from the beginning.
    Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Jake Gyllenhaal is his foil as the perfidious Iago, who goads Othello into unreasoning jealousy with lies about his beloved Desdemona (Molly Osborne).
    New York Times, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025
  • Since then, Putin has sought instead to rally the public to the defense of a motherland besieged by the perfidious and cunning West.
    Leon Aron, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Don Cheadle and Benicio del Toro are both quite good as part of a team that’s tasked with stealing a secret document, setting the stage for a drama involving gangsters, faithless lovers, and white-collar crooks.
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Once lost, now found, Ms. Brady offered the closing prayer as the smell of meatloaf promised lunch for the faithful and faithless alike.
    Moriah Ratner, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Emmy has stood by Will's side throughout it all, especially because he's denied being unfaithful.
    Dave Quinn, People.com, 27 Feb. 2025
  • In the present day, Alice, Brett, perfectionistic realtor Catherine (Aja Naomi King) and sloppy socialite Birdie (Melissa Fumero) are garden club buddies dealing with separate personal issues, like dead pets, unfaithful spouses and child custody battles.
    Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • All board members were fully informed of this decision and present during these discussions, and any claims to the contrary are simply untrue.
    Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Mar. 2025
  • But Platt’s supporters said that was untrue and defended his leadership of the city’s 4,000-plus employees.
    Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Traitorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traitorous. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

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