Definition of faithlessnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word faithless different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of faithless are disloyal, false, perfidious, traitorous, and treacherous. While all these words mean "untrue to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance," faithless applies to any failure to keep a promise or pledge or any breach of allegiance or loyalty.

faithless allies

When can disloyal be used instead of faithless?

The synonyms disloyal and faithless are sometimes interchangeable, but disloyal implies a lack of complete faithfulness to a friend, cause, leader, or country.

disloyal to their country

When could false be used to replace faithless?

In some situations, the words false and faithless are roughly equivalent. However, false stresses the fact of failing to be true in any manner ranging from fickleness to cold treachery.

betrayed by false friends

How do perfidious and faithless relate to one another?

Perfidious adds to faithless the implication of an incapacity for fidelity or reliability.

a perfidious double-crosser

When is traitorous a more appropriate choice than faithless?

While the synonyms traitorous and faithless are close in meaning, traitorous implies either actual treason or a serious betrayal of trust.

traitorous acts punishable by death

When might treacherous be a better fit than faithless?

The meanings of treacherous and faithless largely overlap; however, treacherous implies readiness to betray trust or confidence.

a treacherous adviser

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of faithless Consumed by rage and betrayal, Eleanor is driven to take a bloody, supernatural revenge upon her faithless husband. — Robert Lang, Deadline, 27 Dec. 2025 Spouses, in this gritty Philadelphia suburb, are mostly faithless, absent or dead. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025 Men are a structuring absence, as they are spoken of as faithless husbands, potential fiancés, feckless sons. — John Bleasdale, Variety, 21 Nov. 2024 Don Cheadle and Benicio del Toro are both quite good as part of a team that’s tasked with stealing a secret document, setting the stage for a drama involving gangsters, faithless lovers, and white-collar crooks. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 July 2021 See All Example Sentences for faithless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faithless
Adjective
  • Telemachus’ lone contribution is killing Melanthius, the traitorous Ithacan farmhand, thus preventing him from continuing to arm the suitors.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • And at the very center of Hell is Satan himself, the traitorous Archangel Lucifer, depicted as a monstrous creature with wings and three heads.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 May 2026
Adjective
  • Quarterback LaNorris Sellers, receiver Nyck Harbor and defensive end Dylan Stewart are rare specimens, yet each has been inconsistent and unreliable.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Fuel is costly and polluting, and the generators provide limited, unreliable power.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Some defendants face additional allegations involving false claims of citizenship or fraudulent statements that rest on separate federal statutes.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Those numbers include 759 false identification cards confiscated, 378 alcohol-possession-by-a-minor violations and 98 fake-ID citations during the calendar-year reporting period, according to Oxford Police.
    — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • In other words, some hallucinated or unfaithful answers originate before generation.
    — Patrick Dajos, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Patrick testified and found himself at the center of an online swarm of sleuths and influencers dissecting every detail of the case, developing theories that portray him as uncaring, unfaithful and even the murderer of his children.
    — Ross Douthat, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • That, granted, was a brief if treacherous gut check, giving way to a re-expansion of valuations and a march to new highs through 2019 right up until Covid struck.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Taking the route around the Horn of Africa rather than going through the now-treacherous Bab el-Mandab Strait and on through the Suez Canal adds millions to overall costs.
    — David Faris, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Faithless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faithless. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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