Synonyms of betraying

betraying

verb

present participle of betray

1

as in crossing

to be unfaithful or disloyal to

childhood friends of movie stars often betray them by telling their secrets to the supermarket tabloids

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crossing
• backstabbing
• selling (out)
• double-crossing
• two-timing
• shopping
• stabbing in the back
• selling down the river
• going back on
• giving away
• informing (on)
• telling (on)
• peaching
• splitting (on)
• snitching (on)
• turning in
• ratting (on)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protecting
• defending
• saving
• guarding
• standing by
• shielding
• safeguarding

2

as in revealing

to make known (something abstract) through outward signs

his face betrayed his exasperation with his nosy neighbor

Synonyms & Similar Words

• revealing
• displaying
• showing
• demonstrating
• exposing
• evincing
• communicating
• manifesting
• declaring
• disclosing
• giving away
• sounding
• baring
• uncovering
• announcing
• proclaiming
• bespeaking
• publicizing
• projecting
• airing
• broadcasting
• advertising
• blazing
• unbosoming
• uncloaking
• trumpeting
• placarding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• misrepresenting
• distorting
• falsifying
• twisting
• belying
• disguising
• camouflaging
• concealing
• hiding
• covering
• obscuring
• whitewashing
• masking
• garbling
• varnishing
• occluding
• counterfeiting
• glossing (over)
• veiling
• gilding

3

as in seducing

to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage

she was betrayed by a false show of friendship into covering up the crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

• seducing
• tempting
• luring
• persuading
• enticing
• soliciting
• baiting
• decoying
• alluring
• beguiling
• leading on
• trapping
• inveigling
• fascinating
• entrapping
• ensnaring
• enchanting
• drawing in
• enmeshing
• tangling
• snaring
• catching
• meshing
• snowing
• charming
• magnetizing
• captivating
• bewitching
• roping (in)
• wiling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• warning
• alerting
• cautioning
• warding (off)
• driving (away or off)
• turning away
• forewarning
• repulsing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of betraying

At Hill Street bar, close to the downtown criminal courthouse where McKinney has built his career, supporters swayed to smooth jazz and Top 40 radio hits, nursing cocktails and betraying no reaction to the dismal early returns. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also condemned Stevens, accusing her of betraying Michigan families. — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 1 Nov. 2026

The upcoming movie expands that premise without betraying it, interweaving three animation styles to pay homage to and expand Seuss’ established universe. — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026

Now Reina faces the agonizing choice of betraying her mentor or turning her back on thousands of working-class families who stand to lose everything. — CBS News, 29 Oct. 2026

Rose came to believe that Kloak had actually been sent by its masters to surveil her but was now betraying them. — Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026

The coalition collapsed in 2022, leaving many former supporters accusing him of betraying his electoral promises. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026

But in Season 4, the balance is off, and the fictional president’s parallels to our real-life war-starting, ally-betraying POTUS only make the former’s plight feel that much more trivial. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026

Season one struggled to incorporate all of those elements of Lee without either forgiving or betraying his flaws. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026