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Meaning & use

traitor

noun·Academicdisapproving

Last updated

UK/ˈtreɪtə/
US/ˈtreɪtɚ/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meanings

  1. nouncountabledisapproving

    Someone who is disloyal to their own country and helps its enemies, especially by giving away secrets.

    Grammar: Often followed by to: a traitor to his country.

    Patterns

    • a traitor to something
    • a traitor to someone

    The officer was tried as a traitor after selling military plans.

    History remembers him as a traitor to his homeland.

    Several spies were executed as traitors during the war.

  2. nouncountablefigurativedisapproving

    A person who breaks the trust of a friend, family or group, for example by siding with their opponents.

    Grammar: Used more loosely and emotionally in everyday talk; the cause or group follows to.

    Patterns

    • a traitor to someone
    • a traitor to the cause

    When she joined the rival club, her old teammates called her a traitor.

    I felt like a traitor for telling the secret.

    He was a traitor to the cause the moment he took the bribe.

Word forms

pluraltraitors

Common combinations

a traitor to one's country
They branded him a traitor to his country.
brand someone a traitor
The press branded the minister a traitor.
hunt for a traitor
The captain began a hunt for the traitor in his crew.
turn traitor
Two of his guards turned traitor and opened the gates.
a traitor within
They feared a traitor within their own ranks.

Synonyms and how they differ

betrayer
Betrayer is more general and can describe a personal betrayal, whereas traitor often points to disloyalty toward a nation or cause.
turncoat
A turncoat openly switches sides, but a traitor may stay in place while secretly working for the enemy.
quisling
A quisling is a traitor who collaborates with an occupying enemy, so it is narrower and much more historical.

Opposites

loyalistpatriot

Word family

treason noun
the crime of betraying one's country
treasonous adjective
involving treason
traitorous adjective
disloyal in the manner of a traitor
betray verb
to be disloyal to someone

Commonly confused: traitor or trader?

traitor vs trader

A trader buys and sells goods; traitor has an extra i and means someone who betrays.

Practice

When Mia told the other team our game plan, the coach called her a ___.

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