disloyal

Meaning

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Not faithful to a person, group, or cause; failing to support those who trust or depend on you.

   Grammar: Used after linking verbs like be, seem, or feel, and before nouns: a disloyal friend.

   Patterns

   • disloyal to someone
   • disloyal to something
   • be disloyal to someone

   She felt he had been disloyal to her by sharing her secret.

   The soldier was accused of being disloyal to his country.

   Some party members were disloyal to the leader during the vote.

Common combinations

disloyal to someone

He was disloyal to his closest friend.

disloyal to a cause

They considered her disloyal to the cause.

feel disloyal

I felt disloyal for even thinking it.

accuse someone of being disloyal

The manager accused him of being disloyal to the team.

Synonyms and how they differ

unfaithful

Often used about romantic or sexual relationships; disloyal is broader and can also mean not supporting a group or cause.

treacherous

Stronger and suggests actively harming someone who trusts you; disloyal can be less active, such as simply not supporting someone.

traitorous

Used mainly about betraying a country or cause; disloyal can be used in personal or everyday situations too.

Opposites

Word family

disloyalty noun

The quality or act of being disloyal.

loyal adjective

The opposite: faithful and supportive.

loyalty noun

The quality of being faithful and supportive.

loyally adverb

In a faithful and supportive way.

Commonly confused: disloyal or unloyal? disloyal or disloyalty?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “disloyal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words