perfidy

noun

ˈpər-fə-dē How to pronounce perfidy (audio)
Definition of perfidynext
1
as in infidelity
lack of faithfulness especially to one's husband or wife his wife's perfidy was a moment of uncharacteristic weakness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in treachery
the act or fact of violating the trust or confidence of another the full cost—both in compromised intelligence and in human life—of the double agent's perfidy is not yet known

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 perfidy More recently, an al Qaeda operative and suspected mastermind behind the 2000 USS Cole bombing — in which suicide bombers sidled up alongside a US warship, waved to the sailors and then detonated explosives — was charged with perfidy, among other crimes. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026 The report has raised concerns of perfidy, an act of deception by military forces. — Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 13 Jan. 2026 Ever since, the president and his closest allies haven’t stopped trying to repackage the perfidy as patriotism. — Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 27 Nov. 2025 The ignorance, the hubris, the lies, the perfidy. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for perfidy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perfidy
  1. infidelity
  2. treachery
  3. adultery
  4. betrayal
  5. disloyalty
  6. treason
Noun
  • Gripped by a paralyzing fear for the fate of her future children, Naama returns to the same monument where the infidelity took place; there, her parents appear before her.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2026
  • In June, The New York Times spoke to multiple women who accused Platner of physical intimidation, infidelity and disturbing comments.
    — Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of infidelity
Noun
  • Guides spoke of the monthlong siege that ended only because of the treachery of a local noble who turned on the sultan and allowed British troops to scale the walls.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 2 July 2026
  • This is not treachery but the truest and noblest affection.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of treachery
Noun
  • Her adultery story initially evokes the imprisoned girl’s compensatory reveries, but over time its focus shifts.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The name has Biblical undertones and refers to a theory that Adam (of Adam and Eve) had a first wife named Lilith, who committed adultery with Satan and transformed into an evil being who kidnaps children.
    — Katie Mather, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
Definition of adultery
Noun
  • Jessica transforms the betrayal of a generation taught that work would protect them into visceral cinema, where illness cracks the skin while luxury masks collapse.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • This hardly is the first instance of the betrayal of that trust.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of betrayal
Noun
  • And still, some people insist that admitting the flaws in our history — and our present — constitutes an act of innate disloyalty.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 June 2026
  • Treating rumors as diagnostic signals of uncertainty or weak trust, rather than disloyalty, helps leaders improve communication and align words with observable actions.
    — Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of disloyalty
Noun
  • The book — with its treatment of racial integration as equivalent to the death-penalty federal crime of treason — has inspired numerous acts of racist violence through the years since its publication.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
  • Russian journalist Darya Shipacheva was convicted of treason by a Moscow court ​and sentenced Wednesday to 12 ‌years in a penal colony, the Interfax news agency reported.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 29 July 2026
Definition of treason

Browse Nearby Words

perfidiousness
perfidy
perforate
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Cite this Entry

“Perfidy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perfidy. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on perfidy

Nglish: Translation of perfidy for Spanish Speakers

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