faithless 1 of 2

Definition of faithlessnext

faithlessness

2 of 2

noun

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
Adjective
Don Cheadle and Benicio del Toro are both quite good as part of a team that’s tasked with stealing a secret document, setting the stage for a drama involving gangsters, faithless lovers, and white-collar crooks. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for faithless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faithless
Adjective
  • Russell fabricates a lie with the rest of the villains, and the heroes believe it, despite a warning from one traitorous tribemate.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
  • That video drew the ire of President Donald Trump, who deemed it traitorous.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 25 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • All the secrets pour out, the revelations of infidelity and addiction and so on, as the group gives vent to the stuff that’s previously been unsayable—not to fix anything, mind you, since some things can’t be fixed.
    Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
  • These liaisons are consensual but fraught by infidelity, disparities in age and power, shifting norms.
    Judy Berman, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The streamer said the drama will show how the couple’s love, betrayals and artistic work were shaped by the political and social atmosphere of the time.
    Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
  • While at the convent, Willa learned about her mother's betrayal, and now Bob wants to be fully honest with her.
    Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • And it’s been unreliable in its own accounting of what’s actually happened.
    S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Either way, the audience is expected to take the course of events with a grain of salt, as Weisz's character is a classic unreliable narrator.
    Meg Walters, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The facile novelty of adultery is its own mask, a sexy way of dressing up a deep, frightened longing for security.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The Texas attorney general beat a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges and reached a deal to end a long-running securities fraud case but now faces a contentious divorce over allegations of adultery.
    Meg Kinnard, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Not having to bear that burden, I was transported by Bentley and his co-writer Greg Kwedar to a Pacific Northwest of quiet beauty and matter-of-fact treachery.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
  • After Thomas Hickey was hanged that year for mutiny, sedition and treachery, Washington warned that his fate should serve as a caution to all soldiers.
    Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Chapman is charged with making a false statement during a firearm purchase and engaging in the business of firearms dealing without a license.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Thomas Edward Manfredi, 33, is charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury and making a false police report, according to an arrest warrant.
    Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Research on group dynamics shows that dissent is often interpreted as disloyalty rather than contribution.
    Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
  • The courts have warned against treating dissent as disloyalty.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Faithless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faithless. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.

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