adj
Meaning 1
Traitorous.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
traitor
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.
-
Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtɹeɪtə(ɹ)/
-
US: trā′tər
-
US: /ˈtɹeɪtɚ/
-
US: [ˈthɹeɪɾɚ]
-
homophone: trader (in dialects with flapping)
-
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
rhymes with -eɪtə(ɹ)
-
CMU ARPABET: T R EY1 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Someone who violates an allegiance and betrays their country; someone guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers their country to an enemy, or yields up any fort or place entrusted to their defense, or surrenders an army or body of troops to the enemy, unless when vanquished.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- After World War I, the communists and Jews were accused to be traitors by the German right wing (the "stab-in-the-back myth"), ultimately culminating in their persecution and massacre.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
Someone who takes arms and levies war against their country; or one who aids an enemy in conquering their country.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: turncoat, withersake, apostate, balimbing, butterfly, changeling, defector, runagate, traitor, transfuge, turncloak, turntippet
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
One who betrays any confidence or trust.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: betrayer, fink, snake, snake in the grass, backstabber, cockatrice, double-crosser, quisling, rat, ratter, recreant, renegade, serpent, swike, traitor, treacher, treacherer, treasonist, turntippet, withersake, wolf in sheep's clothing
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To act the traitor toward; to betray; to deceive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
a person who says one thing and does another
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: double-crosser, double-dealer, two-timer, betrayer
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: deceiver, cheat, cheater, trickster, beguiler, slicker
Narrower terms: Judas
noun
Meaning 7
someone who betrays his country by committing treason
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: treasonist
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: criminal, felon, crook, outlaw, malefactor
Narrower terms: collaborator, collaborationist, quisling, fifth columnist, saboteur, traitress, Arnold, Benedict Arnold
History
Etymology
From Middle English traitor, traitour, traytour, from Old French traïtor (French traître), from Latin trāditor. Displaced native Middle English swike from Old English swica (“traitor”), and Middle English proditour and traditour borrowed directly from Latin. The general Old English word denoting "traitor" was lǣwa or lǣwend. Doublet of traditor and treason.
Across languages
Translations
210 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: предателски (predatelski) — traitorous
- Catalan: traïdor — traitorous
- Dutch: verraderlijk — traitorous
- Dutch: verraderlijke — traitorous
- Finnish: petollinen — traitorous
- French: traître — traitorous
- Greek: προδοτικός (prodotikós) — traitorous
- Hungarian: áruló — traitorous
- Macedonian: преда́внички (predávnički) — traitorous
- Macedonian: изда́јнички (izdájnički) — traitorous
- Portuguese: traidor — traitorous
- Spanish: traidor — traitorous
- Spanish: kalé — traitorous
- Turkish: hain — traitorous
- Afrikaans: verraaier — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Albanian: tradhtar — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Albanian: besprem — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Arabic: خَائِن (ḵāʔin) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Arabic: خَائِنَة (ḵāʔina) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Arabic: غَدَّار (ḡaddār) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Arabic: غَدَّارَة (ḡaddāra) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Aramaic: ܡܫܠܡܢܐ — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Armenian: դավաճան (davačan) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Azerbaijani: satqın — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Azerbaijani: xain — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Basque: saltzaile — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Belarusian: здра́днік (zdrádnik) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Belarusian: здра́дніца (zdrádnica) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Bengali: গদ্দার (goddar) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Bengali: রাজাকার (rajakar) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Breton: treitour — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Breton: treitourez — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Bulgarian: преда́тел (predátel) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Bulgarian: преда́телка (predátelka) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Bulgarian: изме́нник (izménnik) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Bulgarian: изме́нничка (izménnička) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Bulgarian: изме́нница (izménnica) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Catalan: traïdor — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Catalan: traïdora — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Chinese Mandarin: 叛徒 (pàntú) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Chinese Mandarin: 賣國賊 /卖国贼 (màiguózéi) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Chinese Mandarin: 背叛者 (bèipànzhě) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Chinese Mandarin: 國賊 /国贼 (guózéi) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Chinese Mandarin: 逆賊 /逆贼 (nìzéi) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Cornish: traytour — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Cornish: traytoures — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Czech: zrádce — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Czech: zrádkyně — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Czech: vlastizrádce — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Czech: vlastizrádkyně — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Czech: velezrádce — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Czech: velezrádkyně — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Danish: forræder — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Dutch: verrader — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Esperanto: perfidulo — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Esperanto: perfidulino — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Estonian: reetur — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Estonian: äraandja — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Finnish: maanpetturi — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Finnish: petturi — one who betrays; a betrayer
- French: traître — one who betrays; a betrayer
- French: traîtresse — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Galician: treidor — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Galician: catralvo — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Galician: turdio — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Galician: tredo — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Galician: aleive — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Galician: ransoño — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Galician: suiño — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Georgian: მოღალატე (moɣalaṭe) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- German: Verräter — one who betrays; a betrayer
- German: Verräterin — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Greek: προδότης (prodótis) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Greek: δοσίλογος (dosílogos) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Ancient Greek: προδότης (prodótēs) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Ancient Greek: προδότις (prodótis) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Haitian Creole: trèt — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Hebrew: בּוֹגֵד (bogéd) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Hindi: ग़द्दार (ġaddār) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Hindi: द्रोही (drohī) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Hindi: विद्रोही (vidrohī) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Hindi: देशद्रोही (deśadrohī) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Hungarian: áruló — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Icelandic: svikari — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Ido: trahizanto — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Ido: trahizinto — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Ido: trahizero — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Ido: trahizemo — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Indonesian: pembelot — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Indonesian: pengkhianat — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Italian: traditore — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Italian: traditrice — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Italian: voltagabbana — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Italian: banderuola — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Italian: giravolta — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Italian: proditore — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Italian: proditrice — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Japanese: 売国奴 (baikokudo) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Japanese: 非国民 (hikokumin) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Japanese: 国賊 (kokuzoku) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Japanese: 反逆者 (hangyakusha) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Japanese: 裏切り者 (uragirimono) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Japanese: 逆賊 (gyakuzoku) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Kazakh: сатқын (satqyn) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Khmer: អ្នកក្បត់ (nĕək kbɑt) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Korean: 배반자 (baebanja) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Korean: 매국노 (maegungno) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Korean: 국적 (gukjeok) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Korean: 배신자 (baesinja) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Northern Kurdish: xaîn — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Kyrgyz: чыккынчы (cıkkıncı) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Lao: ຜູ້ທໍລະຍົດ (phū thǭ la nyot) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Latin: prōditor — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Latin: prōditrīx — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Latin: trāditor — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Latin: trāditrīx — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Latvian: nodevējs — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Latvian: nodevēja — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Lithuanian: išdavikas — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Lithuanian: išdavikė — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Macedonian: предавник (predavnik) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Macedonian: предавничка (predavnička) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Macedonian: издајник (izdajnik) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Macedonian: издајничка (izdajnička) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Malay: pembelot — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Malay: penderhaka — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Malay: pengkhianat — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Malayalam: ഒറ്റുകാരൻ (oṟṟukāraṉ) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Māori: kaikaiwaiū — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Mongolian: урвагч (urvagč) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Nepali: देशद्रोही (deśdrohī) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Nepali: गद्दार (gaddār) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Norwegian Bokmål: sviker — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Norwegian Bokmål: forræder — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Norwegian Nynorsk: svikar — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Norwegian Nynorsk: forrædar — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Occitan: traïdor — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Occitan: traïdoira — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Occitan: traite — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Occitan: traita — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Old English: lǣwa — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Pashto: خاين (xāyen) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Pashto: غدار (ǧadār) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Iranian Persian: خائِن (xâ'en) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Iranian Persian: غَدَّار (ġaddâr) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Iranian Persian: خِیانَتکار (xiyânat-kâr) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Polish: zdrajca — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Polish: zdrajczyni — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Polish: zaprzaniec — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Polish: sprzedawczyk — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Polish: konfident — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Portuguese: traidor — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Portuguese: traidora — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Romanian: trădător — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Romanian: trădătoare — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Russian: преда́тель (predátelʹ) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Russian: преда́тельница (predátelʹnica) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Russian: изме́нник (izménnik) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Russian: изме́нница (izménnica) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Sanskrit: पक्षहर (pakṣahara) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Sanskrit: द्रोहप्रवेशक (drohapraveśaka) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Sanskrit: राजद्रोही (rājadrohī) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Scottish Gaelic: Scottish Gaelic: brathadair — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Serbo-Croatian: ѝзда̄јнӣк — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Serbo-Croatian: ѝздајица — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Serbo-Croatian: ѝзда̄јница — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Serbo-Croatian: ìzdājnīk — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Serbo-Croatian: ìzdajica — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Serbo-Croatian: ìzdājnica — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Slovak: zradca — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Slovak: zradkyňa — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Slovene: izdajalec — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Slovene: izdajalka — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Spanish: traidor — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Spanish: traidora — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Spanish: serpiente — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Spanish: proditor (disused) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Swedish: förrädare — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Swedish: quisling — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Tagalog: traidor — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Tajik: хоин (xoyin) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Tajik: хиёнаткор (xiyonatkor) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Tajik: хиёнатгар (xiyonatgar) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Tamil: துரோகி (turōki) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Tamil: தேசத்துரோகி (tēcatturōki) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Telugu: ద్రోహి (drōhi) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Telugu: దేశద్రోహి (dēśadrōhi) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Thai: กบฏ (gà-bòt) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Thai: ผู้ทรยศ (pûu-tɔɔ-rá-yót) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Thai: คนทรยศ (kon tɔɔ-rá-yót) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Turkish: hain — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Turkish: sadakâtsiz — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Turkish: satkın — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Turkmen: haýyn — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Ukrainian: зра́дник (zrádnyk) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Ukrainian: зра́дниця (zrádnycja) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Urdu: غَدَّار (ġaddār) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Urdu: خِیانَت گَر (xiyānat gar) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Uyghur: خائىن (xa'in) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Uyghur: ساتقىن (satqin) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Uzbek: xoin — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Uzbek: sotqin — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Uzbek: xiyonatchi — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Uzbek: xiyonatkor — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Vietnamese: kẻ phản bội — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Walloon: traite — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Welsh: bradwr — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Yiddish: פֿאַררעטער (farreter) — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Zazaki: xayın — one who betrays; a betrayer
- Zazaki: ğedar — one who betrays; a betrayer
Real reading context