as in treachery
the act or fact of violating the trust or confidence of another
reading a friend's diary without permission would have to be regarded as the ultimate act of personal treason
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Recent Examples of treason
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
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
After years of scrutiny and criticism over his ties with Epstein, his arrest was the first for a senior royal since Charles I, who was beheaded for treason in 1649.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
The last senior member of Britain’s royal family to be arrested in connection with a serious crime was King Charles I, who was beheaded for treason in 1649 following his defeat in the English Civil War.
—Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for treason
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026
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
After years of scrutiny and criticism over his ties with Epstein, his arrest was the first for a senior royal since Charles I, who was beheaded for treason in 1649.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
The last senior member of Britain’s royal family to be arrested in connection with a serious crime was King Charles I, who was beheaded for treason in 1649 following his defeat in the English Civil War.
—Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for treason
Recent Examples of Synonyms for treason
Noun
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Jonathan Cute kept probing the murky realms between tourism and treachery.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
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There are some broadly entertaining yet scattershot series of betrayals, shootouts, car chases (and subsequent crashes), though little that actually raises the pulse or grabs your emotions.—
Chase Hutchinson,
IndieWire,
19 Mar. 2026
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From church pulpits to community gatherings, the policy U-turn was widely viewed as a betrayal of Black Americans who had propped up the retail giant's fortunes.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Treason.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/treason. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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