treacherous
46 synonyms and 8 antonyms for treacherous, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Willing to betray trust; disloyal and deceitful.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
booky
dastardly
disleal
disloyal
double-dealing
double-crossing
double-faced
double-hearted
doublehearted
faithless
false-hearted
falseheart
guiled
guileful
hollow-hearted
illoyal
infidelitous
insidious
Judaslike
Judasly
nonfaithful
perfidious
proditory
proditorious
Punic
ratlike
recreant
renegade
reptilian
reptitious
swike
traitorish
traitorlike
traitorly
traitorous
traitorsome
treachersome
trothless
unfaithful
unleal
unloyal
unsteadfast
viperish
viperous
Antonyms
How to use treacherous
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
treacherous conditions
treacherous waters
a treacherous friend
Etymology
From Old French trecheros, "deceitful" — related to "treachery."
Full origin of treacherous →Frequently asked questions
What does “treacherous” mean?
The word “treacherous” means willing to betray trust; disloyal and deceitful. In plain terms, treacherous describes either a person who betrays trust or a situation/place that's secretly dangerous.
How do you pronounce “treacherous”?
“Treacherous” is pronounced TREHT-shuh-ruhs (/ˈtɹɛt͡ʃəɹəs/ in IPA).
How do you use “treacherous” in a sentence?
Here is “treacherous” used in a sentence: “His treacherous business partner sold the company's secrets to a rival.”
What is another word for “treacherous”?
Words with a similar meaning to “treacherous” include booky, dastardly, disleal, disloyal, double-dealing and double-crossing.
What is the opposite of “treacherous”?
The opposite of “treacherous” — its antonyms — are faithful, fidelitous, leal, loyal and steadfast.
What part of speech is “treacherous”?
“Treacherous” is an adjective.
Where does the word “treacherous” come from?
The word “treacherous” comes from Old French. From Old French trecheros, "deceitful" — related to "treachery.".
Is “treacherous” a common word?
“Treacherous” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the C2 level.
