treachery

noun

treach·​ery ˈtre-chə-rē 

ˈtrech-rē

plural treacheries

1

: violation of allegiance or of faith and confidence : treason

2

: an act of perfidy or treason

Synonyms

• backstabbing
• betrayal
• business
• disloyalty
• double cross
• faithlessness
• falseness
• falsity
• infidelity
• perfidy
• sellout
• treason
• two-timing
• unfaithfulness

Examples of treachery in a Sentence

a tale of treachery and revenge

was furious that she revealed his secret and never forgave her for the treachery

Recent Examples on the Web

As if falling in love wasn’t hard enough, this series ups the ante with even more mind games and treachery than the average first month of dating. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 17 May 2024

Lake has suggested similar treachery by Democrats many times. —Ronald J. Hansen, USA TODAY, 13 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English trecherie, from Anglo-French, from trecher, tricher to deceive, from Vulgar Latin *triccare — more at trick entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

treachery

noun

treach·​ery ˈtrech-(ə-)rē 

plural treacheries

1

: violation of allegiance or of faith and confidence : treason

2

: an act of treason