faithless
Americanadjective
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not adhering to allegiance, promises, vows, or duty.
the faithless behavior of Benedict Arnold.
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not trustworthy; unreliable.
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without trust or belief.
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being without religious faith.
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(among Christians) bereft of Christian faith.
adjective
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unreliable or treacherous
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dishonest or disloyal
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having no faith or trust
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lacking faith, esp religious faith
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A lone faithless elector in Washington state made it a three-way race by voting for Ronald Reagan.
From Slate • Aug. 9, 2024
Bala’s lengthy detention and its traumatic effect on his young family illustrate the risks of being openly faithless in African countries where religious belief pervades social life and challenging such norms is taboo.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 18, 2021
Synonyms include faithless, false, disloyal, treacherous and traitorous.
From Salon • Sep. 18, 2021
He fired Mandy Patinkin early in the filming of “Heartburn,” and brought in Jack Nicholson to play Meryl Streep’s faithless husband.
From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2021
‘It would be faithless now to say farewell.’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
