Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of faithless are disloyal, false, perfidious, traitorous, and treacherous. While all these words mean "untrue to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance," faithless applies to any failure to keep a promise or pledge or any breach of allegiance or loyalty.

faithless allies

When can disloyal be used instead of faithless?

The synonyms disloyal and faithless are sometimes interchangeable, but disloyal implies a lack of complete faithfulness to a friend, cause, leader, or country.

disloyal to their country

When could false be used to replace faithless?

In some situations, the words false and faithless are roughly equivalent. However, false stresses the fact of failing to be true in any manner ranging from fickleness to cold treachery.

betrayed by false friends

How do perfidious and faithless relate to one another?

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

a perfidious double-crosser

When is traitorous a more appropriate choice than faithless?

While the synonyms traitorous and faithless are close in meaning, traitorous implies either actual treason or a serious betrayal of trust.

traitorous acts punishable by death

When might treacherous be a better fit than faithless?

The meanings of treacherous and faithless largely overlap; however, 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 faithless Once lost, now found, Ms. Brady offered the closing prayer as the smell of meatloaf promised lunch for the faithful and faithless alike. Moriah Ratner, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024 Men are a structuring absence, as they are spoken of as faithless husbands, potential fiancés, feckless sons. John Bleasdale, Variety, 21 Nov. 2024 But, these faithless actors have never changed the outcome of an election. Solcyré Burga, TIME, 28 Oct. 2024 Since Biden is no longer in the running, they won't be considered faithless. Kaleigh Rogers, ABC News, 23 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for faithless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faithless
Adjective
  • Clarisse looks intimidating climbing out of a boat, as does Bushnell’s traitorous Luke, who wields a sharp-looking knife.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 24 July 2025
  • There's a delicious whodunit aspect to it, too, as the list of five potentially traitorous suspects includes the operative's own high-profile wife (Cate Blanchett).
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 July 2025
Adjective
  • This variability makes tungsten diselenide unreliable for quantum applications.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Much of the country relies on petrol generators because the grid is patchy and unreliable, but unsubsidized fuel is too expensive for most.
    semafor.com, semafor.com, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Evaluating defamation claims where the report contains demonstrably false factual assertions.
    Tim Reynolds, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
  • However, as several independent experts interviewed by NPR note, that claim is false.
    Scott Neuman, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • There’s a sociological connection between some things that anti-liberals say and some things that certain liberals say, and that’s because certain liberals were unfaithful to their liberalism.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Just days before True's birth, Kardashian learned that Thompson had allegedly been unfaithful.
    Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Equipment and supplies were transported to and from the site using 4x4 vehicles in what were treacherous driving conditions, per the UWFRA.
    Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Earlier, the company stressed that the rugged Oshkosh Defense Palletized Load System (PLS) M1075A1 excels in extreme conditions, efficiently distributing supplies and equipment in treacherous environments using demountable flat rack cargo beds or ISO containers.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Faithless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faithless. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on faithless

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