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

If some umpires have treated Vitello differently than other managers, then that’s a poor reflection on them for betraying their impartiality. — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

The viral moment became a topic of conversation for weeks after the show wrapped, with Rausch also gifting her a Birkin Bag as an apology for betraying her on the show. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026

OpenAI battled its co-founder Elon Musk in a lawsuit accusing the company and Altman of betraying its nonprofit mission. — Alex Heath, Time, 26 Aug. 2026

Sinestro was briefly mentioned last week, as Zoe read an online article about him betraying the Lanterns, for anyone unfamiliar with the comics, the film, or the various cartoons. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

Men are widely expected to be self-reliant and stoic, betraying little to no emotion and needing no help. — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

That strictly enforced division between those who do and don’t have the right ID has remained in place long enough that the university is now betraying its own identity. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 19 Aug. 2026

The company restructured itself into a primarily for-profit business last year, largely betraying its non-profit roots. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026

Over time, Russian prosecutors have begun to charge more of these Ukrainians with treason—for the crime of betraying Russia—rather than with harming the interests of a foreign state. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026