perfidy

[pur-fi-dee]

noun

plural

perfidies 

1. deliberate breach of faith or trust; faithlessness; treachery.

   perfidy that goes unpunished.

2. an act or instance of faithlessness or treachery.

ˈperfidy

/ ˈpɜːfɪdɪ /

noun

1. a perfidious act

Word History and Origins

Origin of ˈperfidy¹

1585–95; < Latin perfidia faithlessness, equivalent to perfid ( us ) faithless, literally, through (i.e., beyond the limits of ) faith ( per- per- + fid ( ēs ) faith + -us adj. suffix) + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of ˈperfidy¹

C16: from Latin perfidia, from perfidus faithless, from per beyond + fidēs faith

Synonym Study

See disloyalty.

Example Sentences

Vintage Trump, complete with all the props: The ranting about the Democrats’ supposed perfidies, the proclamation of a new Golden Age and the adoring families of the victims of violence perpetrated by undocumented migrants.

From Salon

The state prosecutors and attorney generals would supposedly be a heroic firewall and last line of defense against Donald Trump and his perfidy.

From Salon

Trump’s perfidy aside, no one has forgotten Trump’s campaign mantra that ‘illegals’ were stealing American jobs, murdering Americans and eating their pets.

From Salon

If Trump’s perfidy on the economy is galling, his lies about immigration are criminal.

From Salon

Trump has refused in recent interviews to commit to accepting the results in November; since the sore loser still doesn’t concede his 2020 defeat, his antidemocratic perfidy about 2024 doesn’t surprise.

From Los Angeles Times