TREACHEROUS Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'treacherous' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of treacherous are disloyal , faithless , false , perfidious , and traitorous . While all these words mean "untrue to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance," treacherous implies readiness to betray trust or confidence. // a treacherous adviser

Q: When can 'disloyal' be used instead of 'treacherous'?

Although the words disloyal and treacherous have much in common, disloyal implies a lack of complete faithfulness to a friend, cause, leader, or country. // disloyal to their country

Q: When could 'faithless' be used to replace 'treacherous'?

While in some cases nearly identical to treacherous , faithless applies to any failure to keep a promise or pledge or any breach of allegiance or loyalty. // faithless allies

Q: Where would 'false' be a reasonable alternative to 'treacherous'?

The words false and treacherous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, false stresses the fact of failing to be true in any manner ranging from fickleness to cold treachery. // betrayed by false friends

Q: How do 'perfidious' and 'faithless' relate to one another, in the sense of 'treacherous'?

Perfidious adds to faithless the implication of an incapacity for fidelity or reliability. // a perfidious double-crosser

Q: When is 'traitorous' a more appropriate choice than 'treacherous'?

The synonyms traitorous and treacherous are sometimes interchangeable, but traitorous implies either actual treason or a serious betrayal of trust. // traitorous acts punishable by death

treacherous

adjective

ˈtre-chə-rəs

Definition of treacherous next

as in traitorous

not true in one's allegiance to someone or something a treacherous "friend," she's been known to turn against people in the blink of an eye

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

Some common synonyms of treacherous are disloyal, faithless, false, perfidious, and traitorous. While all these words mean "untrue to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance," treacherous implies readiness to betray trust or confidence.

a treacherous adviser

When can disloyal be used instead of treacherous?

Although the words disloyal and treacherous have much in common, 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 treacherous?

While in some cases nearly identical to treacherous, faithless applies to any failure to keep a promise or pledge or any breach of allegiance or loyalty.

faithless allies

Where would false be a reasonable alternative to treacherous?

The words false and treacherous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 treacherous?

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

a perfidious double-crosser

When is traitorous a more appropriate choice than treacherous?

The synonyms traitorous and treacherous are sometimes interchangeable, but traitorous implies either actual treason or a serious betrayal of trust.

traitorous acts punishable by death

Examples of treacherous in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web Left with no other recourse, the two must become doctors for a criminal organization, leading them down a treacherous path of double lives from which escape may prove impossible. —

Max Goldbart, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2024 The treacherous shortcut across the top of North America meanders through the islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. —

Katie Hunt, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024 Under a series of excellent CEOs the company is navigating the difficult and treacherous terrain of being a responsible business. —

Robert G. Eccles, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024 Historically, storm surge—the treacherous rise of seawater as hurricane winds push waves toward shore—has been the deadliest hurricane hazard. —

Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for treacherous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for treacherous

Adjective

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
He’s played an iconic Harry Potter hero as well as a traitorous Marvel villain.

Dalton Ross, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2024

Definition of traitorous

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“Treacherous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/treacherous. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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Last Updated: 2 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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Synonyms of treacherous

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