traitor

[trey-ter]

noun

1. a person who betrays another person, a cause, or any trust.

2. a person who commits treason by betraying their country.

traitor

/ ˈtreɪtə /

noun

1. a person who is guilty of treason or treachery, in betraying friends, country, a cause or trust, etc

Other Word Forms

• traitorship noun
• traitorous adjective
• traitress noun
• traitorously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of traitor¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English from Old French from Latin trāditōr-, stem of trāditor “betrayer”; traditor

Word History and Origins

Origin of traitor¹

C13: from Old French traitour , from Latin trāditor _traditor

Example Sentences

“Let me tell you what a traitor is: A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries,” Greene said this week.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“The war against the Allies was nearly over, but the Reich’s war on the German citizens it had branded as traitors would be fought to the very end,” Mr. Freedland writes.

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"He called me a traitor for standing with these women and refusing to take my name off this discharge petition," Greene said on Tuesday.

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The 78-year-old tried to quell protests with a heavy hand and characterized the demonstrators as criminals, terrorists and traitors.

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"He called me a traitor, and that is so extremely wrong, and those are the types of words used that can radicalize people against me and put my life in danger," said Greene.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• conspirator 
• deserter 
• hypocrite 
• impostor 
• informer 
• renegade 
• spy 
• turncoat