betrayal

noun

be·​tray·​al bi-ˈtrā(-ə)l 

bē-

plural betrayals

1

: the act of betraying someone or something or the fact of being betrayed : violation of a person's trust or confidence, of a moral standard, etc.

the betrayal of a friend

a betrayal of trust

a betrayal of one's principles

A man who built his entire administration upon demanding unctuous loyalty from his allies now finds himself wounded by their shabby betrayal.

—Jack Hitt

The double life of an informant is a peculiar one, filled at the same time with tedium and betrayal.

—Karen Richardson

Even Jesus recognized that there was something paradoxical about his betrayal by Judas Iscariot—in three of the four canonical Gospels, with a kiss.

—David Gates

2

: revelation of something hidden or secret

a betrayal of one's true feelings

There was never doubt, never a betrayal of indecision.

—Jack London

… she had shrunk with irresistible dread from every course that could tend towards a betrayal of her miserable secret.

—George Eliot

Synonyms

• backstabbing
• business
• disloyalty
• double cross
• faithlessness
• falseness
• falsity
• infidelity
• perfidy
• sellout
• treachery
• treason
• two-timing
• unfaithfulness

Examples of betrayal in a Sentence

the terrible betrayal of having her best friend reveal her confidences to others

Recent Examples on the Web

Today’s Paper | Subscribe Explore The New York Times Magazine Inside the Murdoch Succession Drama: More than 3,000 pages of documents reveal how years of betrayals led to a messy court battle that threatens the future of Rupert Murdoch’s empire. —John Hodgman, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025

But was the company’s downfall driven by federal interference, corporate betrayal or its own unsustainable ambitions? —Javier Hasse, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

Reducing them to political bargaining chips is an unconscionable betrayal of equality and justice. —David Kilmnick, New York Daily News, 16 Feb. 2025

Deepening the betrayal, the body itself becomes complicit. —Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing betrayal

• self-betrayal

Rhymes for betrayal

• portrayal