Perfidious: meaning, definitions and examples

This word can be used when describing someone who betrays trust or is deceitful in a very intense and deliberate manner. It often conveys a sense of severe betrayal.

• He revealed the perfidious nature of his once trusted advisor.
• Her perfidious actions shattered their friendship beyond repair.

Treacherous is used to describe actions or people that are dangerously unstable or likely to betray. It is often applied in contexts involving serious betrayal, risk, or deceit.

• The captain lost trust in his treacherous crew.
• The path was treacherous, filled with hidden dangers.

Faithless is used to describe someone who betrays trust or shows infidelity, often in romantic or deeply personal relationships. It carries a connotation of being untrustworthy.

• She could not forgive his faithless actions during their marriage.
• They deemed him faithless for breaking his promises repeatedly.

Disloyal is commonly used in general situations where there is a lack of loyalty or faithfulness, especially in relationships or affiliations. It does not necessarily imply severe betrayal.

• He felt disheartened when his disloyal friends excluded him from the group.
• Her disloyal behavior towards the company was disappointing.

Used to describe someone who is deliberately faithless or disloyal. It often has a dramatic or literary tone.

• He couldn't believe his own brother could be so perfidious.
• The perfidious actions of the spy shocked everyone.

Used to describe someone or something that is dangerously unstable or unreliable, often with a sense of betrayal. It has a strong negative connotation.

• The treacherous terrain made hiking very dangerous.
• His treacherous betrayal broke her heart.

Often used to describe someone who is deceitful by pretending to have one set of feelings while actually having another. This term is general but can be formal.

• Politicians are often accused of being duplicitous.
• Her duplicitous nature made it hard to trust her.

Used to describe someone who practices deceit or lies, typically in an everyday context. It carries a negative connotation.

• Her deceitful claims nearly got her colleague fired.
• He was known to be deceitful, always bending the truth to his advantage.