noun
perfidy
Perfidy (noun) means an act of breaking a promise or betraying someone's trust.
noun
1
An act of breaking a promise or betraying someone's trust.
2
(law) A dishonest trick used in war, such as wrongly flying a protected symbol like the Red Cross or a white flag to get close to an enemy before attacking.
"Cyberattacks almost inevitably involve an element of deception, such as tricking a user to click on a malicious link. So, to what extent could cyberattacks count as perfidy and therefore be illegal given international humanitarian law?"
— Patrick Lin, Is It Possible to Wage a Just Cyberwar? (2012)
"Ruses of war are legitimate so long as they do not involve treachery or perfidy on the part of the belligerent resorting to them."
— Sidney Axinn, A Moral Military (2008)
3
An act of lying or tricking someone.
"Letterman roared about the perfidy of lying politicos."
— , McCain expected to make amends on Letterman show (2008)
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Etymology
From Middle French perfidie, from Latin perfidia from perfidus (“faithless, treacherous, false”), from fides (“faith”); related to, for example, English fidelity.
Related words
Rhymes for perfidy
See all rhymes for perfidy →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of perfidy?
"perfidy" (noun) means an act of breaking a promise or betraying someone's trust.
What is another word for perfidy?
Other words for "perfidy" include betrayal, perfidiousness, treason, treachery.
What are the different meanings of perfidy?
"perfidy" has 3 main meanings: 1. An act of breaking a promise or betraying someone's trust; 2. (law) A dishonest trick used in war, such as wrongly flying a protected symbol like the Red Cross or a white flag to get close to an enemy before attacking; 3. An act of lying or tricking someone.
