1
as in informer
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
the arrested drug dealer vowed that he would get his revenge on his betrayer
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2
as in traitor
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance
the betrayer of Anne Frank's family in Amsterdam has never been identified for certain
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Recent Examples of betrayer
Judas, the betrayer of Jesus Christ, was believed to be the 13th Apostle to join the table at the Last Supper.
—
Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026
Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for betrayer
Noun
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And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The whole family is deeply involved in the revolutionary movement: the oldest son disappears into Siberia, never to be seen or heard of again, while the youngest, eighteen, is jailed together with his father, and executed after his cell is exposed by an informer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
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In the context of his time, Jesus was considered a traitor — an enemy of the Roman Empire.—
Michael J Christensen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For months, the couple worked with the FBI as informants, with Katas even staging a raid by arranging a meeting with Bateman under the guise of filming.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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The suspect police were looking for, based on a tip from a confidential informant, was living in a different apartment, and was wearing a police tracking device while awaiting trial for a recent arrest.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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If the canary wouldn’t sing, if the milkman was late, if the Pekingese had fleas, if an old coot in a starched collar had a heart attack on the way to church, that was the smog.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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The proverbial canaries in coal mines will then cause a recession.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Ingesting rat poison could lead to bleeding gums and nosebleeds as well as bruising and blood in the stool.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
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The Idaho Legislature’s 2026 session ended without passing any rat control legislation, leaving Treasure Valley communities without a clear legal path to address the growing problem.—
Mark Dee,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Betrayer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/betrayer. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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