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

"It's been tearing me apart, I'm so sorry," he howled, as he revealed to the remaining faithfuls that he'd always been a traitor.

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In the East, the official story was that Harry Seidel, a traitor and terrorist, had murdered Heinz Jercha.

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He calls critics “traitors” and threatens those who would even question him.

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Jonathan Ross throwing his two fellow traitors under a bus in a brazen attempt to save himself in the latest episode of The Celebrity Traitors.

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He knows that Fuentes is attacking him as a “race traitor” for marrying the daughter of Indian immigrants.

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Related Words

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