faithless

American  

[feyth-lis] / ˈfeɪθ lɪs /

adjective

1. not adhering to allegiance, promises, vows, or duty.

   the faithless behavior of Benedict Arnold.

2. not trustworthy; unreliable.

3. without trust or belief.

4. being without religious faith.

5. (among Christians) bereft of Christian faith.

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faithless British  

/ ˈfeɪθlɪs /

adjective

1. unreliable or treacherous

2. dishonest or disloyal

3. having no faith or trust

4. lacking faith, esp religious faith

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Other Word Forms

• faithlessly adverb
• faithlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of faithless

First recorded in 1250–1300, faithless is from the Middle English word faithles. See faith, -less

Example Sentences

The very first faithless elector was a guy named Sam Miles, who was chosen to vote for Adams and voted in the end for Jefferson.

From Salon

It is a different reality for the openly faithless in southern Nigeria; they even hold public meetings occasionally.

From Seattle Times

Auden’s “Lullaby”: “Lay your sleeping head, my love / Human on my faithless arm.”

From New York Times

“Regulators simply must have a full arsenal to severely punish faithless, irresponsible and reckless bank executives, officers and directors,” Kelleher said.

From Seattle Times

That is what happened in 2020, when the court decoupled a pair of cases on “faithless electors” that had initially been consolidated before Justice Sonia Sotomayor recused herself from one of them.

From New York Times