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
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Recent Examples of perfidy
The ignorance, the hubris, the lies, the perfidy.
—
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
All that said, Trump’s willingness to forgive the legal sins of former GOP congressman is a notable footnote to an often wretched history of pardon perfidy engaged in by presidents of both parties.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
Their perfidy is memorialized in the English language, though.
—Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
The prior month, Vice President JD Vance had lodged his own complaints about Europe’s alleged perfidy, threatening that the United States might withdraw its security guarantees from Europe if the EU continued to aggressively regulate U.S. tech companies.
—Anu Bradford, Foreign Affairs, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perfidy
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
All that said, Trump’s willingness to forgive the legal sins of former GOP congressman is a notable footnote to an often wretched history of pardon perfidy engaged in by presidents of both parties.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
Their perfidy is memorialized in the English language, though.
—Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
The prior month, Vice President JD Vance had lodged his own complaints about Europe’s alleged perfidy, threatening that the United States might withdraw its security guarantees from Europe if the EU continued to aggressively regulate U.S. tech companies.
—Anu Bradford, Foreign Affairs, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perfidy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perfidy
Noun
-
Their royal union was complicated by infidelity and intense media scrutiny.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Cornyn has defended the bipartisan gun law, has chided Hunt over missing votes in Washington and relentlessly trolled Paxton over his divorce, allegations of infidelity and issues surrounding his impeachment.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Perfidy — from the French perfidie via the Latin perfidia — means deceitfulness, treachery or a breach of faith or promise.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
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But despite all this, not every Chelsea fan outside his family will regard this transfer as treachery.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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Its roots are in publicly paying penance for serious sins or crimes in the eyes of the church, like adultery or apostasy, which means renouncing the church and its beliefs.—
Lianna Norman,
Florida Times-Union,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Even with the game result finalized at this point, the anticipation to see how Maura would react to Rob’s betrayal was almost sky high, and the result matched the moment.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
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Key leaders in the MAHA movement regarded the move as a betrayal.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Research on group dynamics shows that dissent is often interpreted as disloyalty rather than contribution.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
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The courts have warned against treating dissent as disloyalty.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Fearful of being captured and charged with treason for opposing British rule, American leaders would gather in private homes or taverns.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
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In France in the late nineteenth century, a Jewish Army captain, Alfred Dreyfus, was put on trial on false charges of treason.—
Nicholas Lemann,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perfidy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perfidy. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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