Standard Lemma guide

treachery

noun · 6 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.

  • /ˈtɹɛt͡ʃəɹi/
  • /ˈtɹɛt͡ʃɹi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T R EH1 CH ER0 IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Deliberate, often calculated, disregard for trust or faith.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The act of violating the confidence of another, usually for personal gain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Treason.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perfidy

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An act or instance of treachery.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Punic faith, prodition, treacherousness, betrayal, breach of promise, breach of trust, double-dealing, Judas kiss, perfidiousness, perfidy, stab in the back, swike, tergiversation, traitory, treachery, treason

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

an act of deliberate betrayal

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: betrayal, treason, perfidy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: dishonesty, knavery

Narrower terms: double cross, double-crossing, sellout

6

noun

Meaning 6

betrayal of a trust

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perfidy, perfidiousness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disloyalty

Narrower terms: insidiousness

History

Etymology

From Middle English trecherie, from Old French tricherie, trecherie, from tricher, trichier (“to cheat”).

Across languages

Translations

41 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: xəyanət — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Azerbaijani: vəfasızlıq — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Azerbaijani: xəyanətkarlıq — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Azerbaijani: namərdlik — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Bulgarian: измяна (izmjana) — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Bulgarian: предателство (predatelstvo) — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Chinese Mandarin: 背信棄義 /背信弃义 (bèixìnqìyì) — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Finnish: petos — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • French: traîtrise — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • German: Verrat — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Greek: δολιότητα (doliótita) — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Greek: κακοπιστία (kakopistía) — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Greek: επιβουλή (epivoulí) — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Italian: tradimento — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Italian: slealtà — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Italian: inganno — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Japanese: 裏切り (uragiri) — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Kapampangan: kasukaban — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Kapampangan: kesukaban — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Latin: perfidia — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Māori: kaikaiwaiūtanga — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Māori: kaikaiwaiū — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Russian: преда́тельство (predátelʹstvo) — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Russian: изме́на (izména) — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Russian: вероло́мство (verolómstvo) — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Swedish: svek — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Swedish: förräderi — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Tagalog: kataksilan — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Welsh: brad — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Welsh: bradychiad — deliberate disregard for trust or faith
  • Esperanto: perfido — the act of violating the confidence of another
  • Finnish: petos — the act of violating the confidence of another
  • Greek: προδοσία (prodosía) — the act of violating the confidence of another
  • Ancient Greek: προδοσία (prodosía) — the act of violating the confidence of another
  • Māori: kaikaiwaiū — the act of violating the confidence of another
  • Māori: kaikaiwaiūtanga — the act of violating the confidence of another
  • Russian: преда́тельство (predátelʹstvo) — the act of violating the confidence of another
  • Russian: изме́на (izména) — the act of violating the confidence of another
  • Spanish: alevosía — the act of violating the confidence of another
  • Spanish: aleve — the act of violating the confidence of another
  • Welsh: brad — the act of violating the confidence of another