treachery

noun treach·ery \ -rē \

Definition of treachery

plural treacheries

1 :violation of allegiance or of faith and confidence :treason

2 :an act of perfidy or treason

See treachery defined for English-language learners

See treachery defined for kids

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 of treachery from the Web

Yet, all through this treachery and mayhem, the audience is just about on the floor with laughter.

— punch shaw, star-telegram, "Senior living has never been funnier, or more cutthroat, than in ‘Ripcord’," 22 Aug. 2017
Swift was accused of treachery, and her social media was overrun with snake imagery.

— Vogue, "What Is Taylor Swift (and the Snake She Just Tweeted) Trying To Tell Us?," 21 Aug. 2017
His radical views on immigration, race, education, the duplicity of the media and the treachery of liberals have abruptly made their way to the center of power.

— david streitfeld, New York Times, "One Family, Many Revolutions: From Black Panthers, to Silicon Valley, to Trump," 22 July 2017
Looking back on the past six epic seasons of plotting, treachery, murder, battle, and Tyrion, there's something that still doesn't sit right with many viewers: The show has a problem with diversity.

— nina bahadur, SELF, "This Excuse for Why 'Game of Thrones' Lacks Diversity Isn't Good Enough," 14 July 2017
Its story, rooted in a world that often punishes heroism, rewards the wealthy, and is filled with treachery, feels like a sadly appropriate mirror of our own.

— eric deggans, Fortune, "How Game of Thrones Channels Our National Id in the Age of Trump," 13 July 2017
Caesar seeks peace with humans, but must deal with the treachery of a fifth column of gorillas that once served his rival, the autocratic Koba.

— john petkovic, cleveland.com, "'War for the Planet of the Apes': apes have evolved more than humans (movie review)," 13 July 2017
New Hampshire is a flat, 1-mile track with treachery in every corner.

— matt crossman, charlotteobserver, "With NASCAR headed to lobster country, Matt Kenseth is feeling the pinch," 13 July 2017
McConnell’s treachery at that pivotal moment has been hashed over at length since the Post first broke the story.

— brian beutler, New Republic, "What Did Republicans Know About the Russia Scandal? America Deserves an Answer.," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'treachery.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of treachery

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

treachery Synonyms

TREACHERY Defined for English Language Learners

treachery

noun

Definition of treachery for English Language Learners

: harmful things that are done usually secretly to a friend, your own country, etc.
: an act of harming someone who trusts you

TREACHERY Defined for Kids

treachery

noun treach·ery \ ˈtre-chə-rē \

Definition of treachery for Students

plural treacheries

1 :the behavior of a person who betrays trust or faith

a tale of treachery and revenge

2 :an act or instance of betraying trust or faith

She was hurt by her friend's treacheries.

Learn More about treachery

See words that rhyme with treachery Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for treachery Spanish Central: Translation of treachery Nglish: Translation of treachery for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of treachery for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up treachery? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

treachery

Definition of treachery

Explore Merriam-Webster

Examples of treachery in a Sentence

Recent Examples of treachery from the Web

Origin and Etymology of treachery

treachery Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

TREACHERY Defined for English Language Learners

treachery

Definition of treachery for English Language Learners

TREACHERY Defined for Kids

treachery

Definition of treachery for Students

Learn More about treachery

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066