First Known Use: 1592
Dictionary
perfidy
noun per·fi·dy \ˈpər-fə-dē\
: the act of betraying someone or something : the state of not being loyal
plural per·fi·dies
Full Definition of PERFIDY
2
: an act or an instance of disloyalty
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Examples of PERFIDY
- A man who built his entire administration upon demanding unctuous loyalty from his allies now finds himself wounded by their shabby betrayal. You'd have to go back to one of Spain's humpbacked Hapsburgs to find court perfidy of the variety that is currently depleting the president's power. —Jack Hitt, Mother Jones, January & February 2006
- The petty Robespierres on the public stage appeal to “the real America” to rise up in fury against presidential perfidies; yet in poll after poll the real America keeps telling Washington that it has gone bonkers. —David L. Kirp, Nation, 8 Mar. 1999
- I lived there off and on for twenty years, through graduate studies, marriage, the end of marriage, the perfidies of middle age, all the while unaware of passion. —Susan Barron, New England Monthly, October 1989
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Origin of PERFIDY
Related to PERFIDY
- Synonyms
- disloyalty, faithlessness, falseness, falsity, inconstancy, perfidiousness, infidelity, unfaithfulness
- Antonyms
- allegiance, constancy, devotedness, devotion, faith, faithfulness, fealty, fidelity, loyalty
PERFIDIES Defined for Kids
perfidy
noun per·fi·dy \ˈpər-fə-dē\
plural per·fi·dies
Definition of PERFIDY for Kids
: treachery 2
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