treachery
Americannoun
plural
treacheries-
violation of faith; betrayal of trust; treason.
- Antonyms:
- loyalty
-
an act of perfidy, faithlessness, or treason.
noun
-
the act or an instance of wilful betrayal
-
the disposition to betray
Related Words
See disloyalty.
Etymology
Origin of treachery
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English trecherie, from Middle French, Old French, from trech(ier) “to deceive” ( trick ) + -erie -ery
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.
Most of the unhappy denizens of Dante’s imagined hell are being eternally tormented for specific moral crimes in categories covering lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026
It’s a sprawling tale of divine corruption and human treachery that ends with the world being purified by fire and flood.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
She branded the culprits "cowards" who had committed an act of "treachery".
From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025
“The treachery of your tears is no use to fight injustice,” read one.
From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2024
‘How far back his treachery goes, who can guess?’ said Gandalf.
From "The Two Towers" 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.
