Meaning & use

betrayal

noun·Academic

The act of being disloyal to someone who trusted you, especially by breaking a promise or revealing a secret.

See it in a sentence

Sharing her private diary with classmates felt like the ultimate betrayal to her.

The film explores the betrayal of a soldier by his closest friend.

A note on using this word

Betrayal specifically requires an existing relationship of trust; simply disappointing someone is not usually called betrayal.

Words with a similar meaning

disloyaltytreacherydeception

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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