Synonym Chooser

How is the word disloyal different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of disloyal are faithless, false, perfidious, traitorous, and treacherous. While all these words mean "untrue to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance," disloyal implies a lack of complete faithfulness to a friend, cause, leader, or country.

disloyal to their country

Where would faithless be a reasonable alternative to disloyal?

The words faithless and disloyal can be used in similar contexts, but faithless applies to any failure to keep a promise or pledge or any breach of allegiance or loyalty.

faithless allies

When would false be a good substitute for disloyal?

Although the words false and disloyal have much in common, false stresses the fact of failing to be true in any manner ranging from fickleness to cold treachery.

betrayed by false friends

How are the words perfidious and faithless related as synonyms of disloyal?

Perfidious adds to faithless the implication of an incapacity for fidelity or reliability.

a perfidious double-crosser

When is it sensible to use traitorous instead of disloyal?

In some situations, the words traitorous and disloyal are roughly equivalent. However, traitorous implies either actual treason or a serious betrayal of trust.

traitorous acts punishable by death

When might treacherous be a better fit than disloyal?

The words treacherous and disloyal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, treacherous implies readiness to betray trust or confidence.

a treacherous adviser

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disloyal The restructuring comes after Trump in April fired multiple senior NSC officials flagged by right-wing activist Laura Loomer as being disloyal to Trump during a White House visit. Joey Garrison, USA Today, 25 May 2025 Loyalty-first governance Trump has intensified his efforts to reshape the government in his image, purging officials considered disloyal and politicizing civil service and national security roles. Mark K. Updegrove, Time, 29 Apr. 2025 America Great Again base as disloyal or insufficiently conservative. Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2025 His return to Michigan in 2023 failed to appease Democrats, who labeled him a disloyal opportunist in his race against Ms. Slotkin. Taylor Robinson, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for disloyal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disloyal
Adjective
  • Michael Fassbender plays a British intelligence officer tasked with finding who leaked a top-secret software program and betrayed their country, and the list of five potentially traitorous suspects includes his own high-profile wife (Cate Blanchett).
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 May 2025
  • Smith made out their former collaborators to be ungrateful and traitorous, and the kids weren't given the space to question her command.
    Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • While introducing a range of endearingly unreliable characters, the action rolls out a succession of comically absurd situations that provide laughs from the film’s beginning to its end.
    Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
  • However, by 2024, this gimbal had grown unreliable due to age, and so the Climate Sounder now relies on the standard 28-degree rolls to make its observations.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 7 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Disloyal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disloyal. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on disloyal

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