traitor

[ trey-ter ]

noun

1. a person who betrays another person, a cause, or any trust.
2. a person who commits treason by betraying their country.

traitor

/ ˈtreɪtə /

noun

1. a person who is guilty of treason or treachery, in betraying friends, country, a cause or trust, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈtraitorous, adjective
• ˈtraitorˌship, noun
• ˈtraitress, noun:feminine
• ˈtraitorously, adverb

Other Words From

• traitor·ship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of traitor¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English from Old French from Latin trāditōr-, stem of trāditor “betrayer”; traditor

Word History and Origins

Origin of traitor¹

C13: from Old French traitour , from Latin trāditor traditor

Example Sentences

Trump has vowed to spend his second term pursuing his political enemies, including Schiff, whom he has variously described as a “liar,” “traitor,” “shifty,” “evil,” “pencil neck” and one of the country’s “enemies from within.”

From Los Angeles Times

A banner accusing Sinn Féin of being "traitors" has been put up at the office of the party's deputy leader Michelle O'Neill.

From BBC

His enemies regard him as a traitor who sold his soul to France, while others recognise him as a literary genius of whom the country should be proud.

From BBC

Trump has also made repeatedly antisemitic comments suggesting that Jewish Americans who do not support him are traitors who will be collectively punished by his regime for their “disloyalty.”

From Salon

During the 1990 midterm elections, a group led by Gingrich issued pamphlets among Republicans encouraging them to label their opponents with words like "destroy," "collapse," "traitors," "decay" and "sick" as a key mechanism of persuasion.

From Salon

Related Words

• conspirator
• deserter
• hypocrite
• impostor
• informer
• renegade
• spy
• turncoat