perfidy
perfidy — noun
1. a shameful lack of loyalty, especially when someone turns against a person, grou
a shameful lack of loyalty, especially when someone turns against a person, group, or cause that trusted them.
Council members were shocked by Marco's perfidy after years of public promises.
perfidy after repeated promises in public life
The novel shows a court ruined by perfidy, gossip, and broken oaths.
Farmers still talk about the company's perfidy when the river turned black.
Perfidy toward old allies cost the general support in every border town.
Tamar called the secret deal an example of perfidy against loyal workers.
- treachery
close in force, but often stresses deceit as strongly as disloyalty
- disloyalty
broader and more everyday, with less dramatic moral judgment
- faithlessness
often used for breaking personal or romantic loyalty
用法筆記
Often used for an ongoing pattern of betrayal in politics, war, or close relationships. Distinguish from sense 2 when you mean a broader lack of loyalty rather than one clearly identified act.
常見錯誤
2. a single planned betrayal in which someone secretly sells out a person or side t
a single planned betrayal in which someone secretly sells out a person or side that relied on them.
Lan never forgave the perfidy of selling the map to enemy troops.
the perfidy of + -ing naming one betrayal
The leak was not a mistake but a calculated perfidy against the team.
Ziad's perfidy became clear when police found his messages to the gang.
That perfidy ended the peace talks before the second day began.
Historians describe the midnight arrest as a perfidy against the royal family.
- betrayal
the broad everyday term, less literary and less judgment-heavy
- double-cross
informal and vivid, often for a sudden act against a partner
- treacherous act
spells out the idea in plainer words, but sounds less fixed
- faithfulness
staying true instead of turning against someone
- loyal act
an action that protects trust rather than breaking it
用法筆記
Usually points to one clearly identifiable betrayal, often named with of plus an -ing form or by describing the act after the noun. Distinguish from sense 1, which describes a wider state of disloyal behaviour.