unfaithful

adjective

un·​faith·​ful ˌən-ˈfāth-fəl How to pronounce unfaithful (audio)
: not faithful:
a
: not adhering to vows, allegiance, or duty : disloyal
an unfaithful friend
b
: not faithful to marriage vows
suspected her husband of being unfaithful
c
: inaccurate, untrustworthy
an unfaithful copy of a document
unfaithfully adverb
unfaithfulness noun

Examples of unfaithful in a Sentence

colonists who later proved to be unfaithful to the cause of independence
Recent Examples on the Web Washington will play the title character, while Gyllenhaal will portray the antagonist Iago, who tries to convince Othello that his wife has been unfaithful. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Individuals who wanted more love from their partners and felt less satisfied also showed higher chances of being unfaithful. Mark Travers, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The video features a devastated-looking Timberlake invading the home of his unfaithful ex-girlfriend, who bears a resemblance to Spears. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024 Others identify the skin color or body types that indicate that a woman will be unfaithful. Vittoria Elliott, WIRED, 1 Feb. 2024 While speaking onstage during her Sharon Osbourne: Cut the Crap show in London over the weekend (Jan. 21), the star opened up about her suicide attempt after discovering that her husband, Ozzy Osbourne, had been unfaithful. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 23 Jan. 2024 In some cases, this may be a form of payback against a partner who has also been unfaithful to them. Mark Travers, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 By this point in the story, Priscilla already suspects Elvis has been unfaithful, but hasn’t yet confronted him. Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 5 Nov. 2023 Mark had been in the middle of a disciplinary process with the church at that time after being unfaithful to his wife with a man. Jessica Miller, ProPublica, 12 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unfaithful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unfaithful was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near unfaithful

Cite this Entry

“Unfaithful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfaithful. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unfaithful

adjective
un·​faith·​ful ˌən-ˈfāth-fəl How to pronounce unfaithful (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not observing vows, allegiance, or duty : disloyal
an unfaithful friend
2
: not faithful to marriage vows
3
: inaccurate
an unfaithful translation
unfaithfully adverb
unfaithfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on unfaithful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!