noun · 5 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.
UK:/ˈpɜː.fɪ.di/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈpɝ.fɪ.di/
CMU ARPABET:P ER1 F IH0 D IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A state or act of violating faith or allegiance; violation of a promise or vow, or of trust.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: betrayal, treachery, perfidiousness, breach of promise, breach of trust, double-dealing, Judas kiss, perfidy, prodition, Punic faith, stab in the back, swike, tergiversation, traitory, treacherousness, treason
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
An illegitimate act of deception, such as using symbols like the Red Cross or white flag in a false claim of surrender to gain proximity to an enemy for purposes of attack.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Qualifier: international law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A state or act of deceit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: perfidiousness, treachery
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: disloyalty
Narrower terms: insidiousness
History
Etymology
From Middle French perfidie, from Latin perfidia from perfidus (“faithless, treacherous, false”), from fides (“faith”); related to, for example, English fidelity.
Across languages
Translations
37 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Azerbaijani:
namərdlik
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Azerbaijani:
vəfasızlıq
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Azerbaijani:
xəyanətkarlıq
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Bulgarian:
коварство
(kovarstvo)
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Catalan:
perfídia
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Czech:
proradnost
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Czech:
zrada
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Finnish:
petollisuus
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Finnish:
kavaluus
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
French:
perfidie
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Hungarian:
hitszegés
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Hungarian:
hűtlenség
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Hungarian:
álnokság
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Latin:
perfidia
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Persian:
بیوفایی
(bi-vafâyi)
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Polish:
perfidia
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Portuguese:
perfídia
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Romanian:
perfidie
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Russian:
вероло́мство
(verolómstvo)
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Russian:
изме́на
(izména)
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Russian:
преда́тельство
(predátelʹstvo)
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Spanish:
perfidia
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Swedish:
trolöshet
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Swedish:
svek
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Swedish:
förräderi
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Swedish:
perfiditet
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Ukrainian:
віроломство
(virolomstvo)
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Ukrainian:
зрада
(zrada)
— the act of violating faith or allegiance
Bulgarian:
измяна
(izmjana)
— false deception of surrender or peace which will be broken
Bulgarian:
предателство
(predatelstvo)
— false deception of surrender or peace which will be broken
Finnish:
sotapetos
— false deception of surrender or peace which will be broken
Hungarian:
álnokság
— false deception of surrender or peace which will be broken
Hungarian:
perfídia
— false deception of surrender or peace which will be broken
Russian:
вероло́мство
(verolómstvo)
— false deception of surrender or peace which will be broken
Swedish:
förrädiskt förfarande
— false deception of surrender or peace which will be broken
Swedish:
förräderi
— false deception of surrender or peace which will be broken
Ukrainian:
віроломство
(virolomstvo)
— false deception of surrender or peace which will be broken
