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
-
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
-
It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
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After Kent’s resignation, Republican hawks denounced him as a kook and a traitor to the cause, without touching on the delicate question of why Trump appointed such a disreputable figure in the first place.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Weathermen and Panthers held meetings together and exchanged intel about government surveillance and police informants.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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The Miami Herald has previously reported that Pretel, who ran a company known as Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and helped recruit the Colombian commandos, was an FBI informant.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Safety concerns ultimately arose in rat studies so further testing stopped.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
22 Mar. 2026
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Robinson uses rats in her research to understand how the brain adapts to emotions and how that affects behavior.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Betrayer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/betrayer. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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