perfidy

noun

per·​fi·​dy ˈpər-fə-dē How to pronounce perfidy (audio)
plural perfidies
1
: the quality or state of being faithless or disloyal : treachery
2
: an act or an instance of disloyalty

Examples of perfidy in a Sentence

A man who built his entire administration upon demanding unctuous loyalty from his allies now finds himself wounded by their shabby betrayal. You'd have to go back to one of Spain's humpbacked Hapsburgs to find court perfidy of the variety that is currently depleting the president's power. Jack Hitt, Mother Jones, January & February 2006
The petty Robespierres on the public stage appeal to "the real America" to rise up in fury against presidential perfidies; yet in poll after poll the real America keeps telling Washington that it has gone bonkers. David L. Kirp, Nation, 8 Mar. 1999
I lived there off and on for twenty years, through graduate studies, marriage, the end of marriage, the perfidies of middle age, all the while unaware of passion. Susan Barron, New England Monthly, October 1989
They are guilty of perfidy. his wife's perfidy was a moment of uncharacteristic weakness
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Putin inundates Ukraine’s airwaves with propaganda about the West’s perfidy, the West’s agonizingly slow and insufficient support of Ukraine, the West’s seeming willingness to bleed Ukraine as a proxy, Zelensky’s anti-democratic centralization of power, and the like. Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 On March 4, 1798, the first dispatches from France finally arrived and exposed the depths of French perfidy. Lindsay M. Chervinsky / Made By History, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024 Rational arguments are unlikely to either persuade those convinced of the perfidy of the green transition or allay the grievances that fuel the populist ferment in the West. Edoardo Campanella, Foreign Affairs, 25 July 2024 To Netanyahu’s supporters urging restraint by Israel is an act of perfidy, rather than an instance of a president upholding his oath to protect American interests. Ben Krull, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for perfidy 

Word History

Etymology

Latin perfidia, from perfidus faithless, from per- detrimental to + fides faith — more at per-, faith

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of perfidy was in 1592

Dictionary Entries Near perfidy

Cite this Entry

“Perfidy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perfidy. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

perfidy

noun
per·​fi·​dy ˈpər-fəd-ē How to pronounce perfidy (audio)
plural perfidies
: the quality or state of being faithless or disloyal : treachery

More from Merriam-Webster on perfidy

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