Standard Lemma guide

perfidious

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /pɚˈfɪdi.əs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /pəˈfɪdi.əs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪdiəs

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, pertaining to, or representing perfidy; disloyal to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

tending to betray; especially having a treacherous character as attributed to the Carthaginians by the Romans

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Punic faith
  • the perfidious Judas
  • the fiercest and most treacherous of foes
  • treacherous intrigues

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: punic, treacherous

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin perfidiōsus (“treacherous”), from perfidia.

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: коварен (kovaren) — pertaining to perfidy
  • Bulgarian: вероломен (verolomen) — pertaining to perfidy
  • Bulgarian: предателски (predatelski) — pertaining to perfidy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 背信棄義的 /背信弃义的 (bèixìnqìyì de) — pertaining to perfidy
  • Dutch: verraderlijk — pertaining to perfidy
  • Dutch: perfide — pertaining to perfidy
  • Dutch: doortrapt — pertaining to perfidy
  • Finnish: petollinen — pertaining to perfidy
  • French: perfide — pertaining to perfidy
  • German: perfide — pertaining to perfidy
  • Greek: παράσπονδος (paráspondos) — pertaining to perfidy
  • Hungarian: hitszegő — pertaining to perfidy
  • Hungarian: álnok — pertaining to perfidy
  • Hungarian: csalárd — pertaining to perfidy
  • Hungarian: áruló — pertaining to perfidy
  • Hungarian: szószegő — pertaining to perfidy
  • Hungarian: alattomos — pertaining to perfidy
  • Hungarian: perfid — pertaining to perfidy
  • Hungarian: galád — pertaining to perfidy
  • Hungarian: alávaló — pertaining to perfidy
  • Hungarian: aljas — pertaining to perfidy
  • Hungarian: hitvány — pertaining to perfidy
  • Ido: perfida — pertaining to perfidy
  • Latin: perfidus — pertaining to perfidy
  • Neapolitan: nfame — pertaining to perfidy
  • Plautdietsch: ontru — pertaining to perfidy
  • Portuguese: pérfido — pertaining to perfidy
  • Portuguese: desleal — pertaining to perfidy
  • Russian: вероло́мный (verolómnyj) — pertaining to perfidy
  • Russian: преда́тельский (predátelʹskij) — pertaining to perfidy
  • Russian: кова́рный (kovárnyj) — pertaining to perfidy
  • Spanish: pérfido — pertaining to perfidy
  • Turkish: hain — pertaining to perfidy
  • Turkish: kalleş — pertaining to perfidy
  • Ukrainian: віроломний (virolomnyj) — pertaining to perfidy
  • Ukrainian: зрадливий (zradlyvyj) — pertaining to perfidy