betrayal

American  

[bih-tray-uhl] / bɪˈtreɪ əl /

noun

• betrayals
  plural

1. the act of exposing or delivering someone to an enemy through treachery or disloyalty.

   This security leak was an inexcusable betrayal of an ally whose very existence is now threatened.

2. the act of disappointing a person’s trust, hopes, or expectations.

   Imagine what a betrayal it is each time a rape victim finds out that her fellow citizens, and our legal system, are just not there for her.

3. the act of revealing information in violation of confidence.

   The library, which carried books criticizing the regime, was kept in private homes and frequently had to be moved to avoid betrayal of its secret to the local authorities.

4. failure to keep or honor a promise, principle, cherished memory, etc..

   Many of his constituents are unhappy with his promotion of new mining and logging initiatives, seeing it as a betrayal of his green ideals.

5. an act or instance of unconsciously revealing or displaying some quality or characteristic, typically one preferably concealed.

   A slight tremor in her hand was the only betrayal of her fear.

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Usage

What does betrayal mean? Betrayal is when someone you trust breaks that trust by doing something that hurts you. This can take many forms, such as a soldier working with the enemy, one family member stealing from another, or a friend spreading rumors about another friend. Betrayal is the noun form of the verb betray, which means to be disloyal or traitorous. A specific act of disloyalty is a betrayal, as in The businessman never forgave his partner’s betrayal of joining his hated rival’s company. Betrayal is also used to describe how you reveal something unconsciously, like how a blush betrays embarrassment. An act is only considered a betrayal if it violates an existing trust. The word typically implies a serious violation of trust that causes serious harm. Example: The knights’ betrayal of their king helped the invaders win the war.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prebetrayal
  noun
• self-betrayal
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• betrayals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of betrayal

betray ( def. ) + -al ² ( def. )

Explanation

Betrayal means "an act of deliberate disloyalty," like when your friend told other people all your secrets. What a betrayal! Betrayal's root is betray, which comes from the Middle English word bitrayen — meaning "mislead, deceive." Betrayal has to do with destroying someone's trust, possibly by lying. If you start dating your best friend's girlfriend behind his back, that's an act of betrayal. Betrayal can also mean "helping an enemy," such as a person who gives secret information to a country that is at war with his or her own.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

betrayal betrayals

"It just felt like a betrayal," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

If he then betrays that understanding, Beijing will feel a strong sense of betrayal that seriously damages the relationship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

It found staff failings at the hospital amounted to a "betrayal of patient trust" and also questioned why oncology pharmacy teams did not challenge patients receiving oral chemotherapy continuously for 10 to 15 years.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

But the betrayal of first responders can be traced before the 2001 second attack on the Twin Towers.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

The look of betrayal from her was burned into his brain.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

"It's still not really clear what happened...What is clear is that there were many betrayals," he added -- pointing to implausible failures in Maduro's defenses.

From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026

“Andor” trades lightsaber spectacle and woo-woo monologues about the Force for a compact and gritty story full of hard decisions, gutting betrayals and grown-up drama.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025

Admittedly both worlds tend to have big personalities, alliances, betrayals and dramatic twists - in the legislature and the Love Island villa.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2025

The consumer critique of “Spent” is one that punches primarily sideways, highlighting how readily Alison betrays her own high ethical and political standards and how reflexively she uses an intellectual gloss to rationalize the betrayals.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2025

We create entire backstories, including betrayals, missing parents—the works.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• deception
• dishonesty
• sellout
• treachery
• treason