betrayal
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Origin of betrayal
1Other words from betrayal
- pre·be·tray·al, noun
- self-be·tray·al, noun
Words Nearby betrayal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use betrayal in a sentence
Though the episode ends on a close-up of her husband’s eyes, Kidman’s remain our window into Grace’s shock, her betrayal — her, well, undoing.
The real star of ‘The Undoing’? Nicole Kidman’s eyeballs. | Bethonie Butler | November 30, 2020 | Washington PostIt’s also designed to examine less playful, more destructive betrayals of trust.
The mind-boggling end of Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise, explained | Constance Grady | November 20, 2020 | VoxAs I can testify firsthand, napping while working from home can feel like a betrayal of trust, a breach of the social contract that assumes that you’re still hammering away even when your manager can’t see you.
Why you shouldn’t feel guilty for napping while working at home | Sarah Todd | September 20, 2020 | QuartzThe moment early on in the film when someone she loves betrays her by slicing off her wings — ostensibly in order to “save” her — comes off like an excruciating form of conversion therapy.
Equating antifa with QAnon betrays how Facebook fundamentally doesn’t grasp the issue.
Will Facebook’s QAnon crackdown succeed? What people are saying so far | Jeff | August 20, 2020 | Fortune
betrayal…you can hear it…betraying the thing he loves for a cheap bit of film publicity.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd their suspicions make them see betrayal at every turn, even when incompetence may be the cause of a particular problem.
We all felt the betrayal not so much of the institution as of the man who had noisily and heroically put it on the map.
To a certain degree, there is an irrational sense of betrayal.
Renee Zellweger's Face Gets More Medical Scrutiny Than Ebola | Emily Shire | October 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe worldwide panic over her new look is rooted in a sense of betrayal to the "be yourself" values that Bridget Jones embodied.
Renee Zellweger's Face Gets More Medical Scrutiny Than Ebola | Emily Shire | October 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSuch a betrayal led him upon the following day to send a note to Mrs. Chepstow, asking for an appointment.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensAnd the surgeon looked at him; but there rose up in his remembrance how he had been avoiding betrayal for years.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodThen, regretting the betrayal of his feelings, the young man relapsed into gloomy silence.
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence | Eugne SueThese people received Mosby's men into their houses as their guests, and neither danger nor want could tempt their betrayal.
He was much rather inclined to think with Lucien Bruslart that Latour had had a part in her betrayal.
The Light That Lures | Percy Brebner
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