traitor
noun
trai·tor ˈtrā-tər 
1
: one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty
2
: one who commits treason
Synonyms
- apostate
- backstabber
- betrayer
- double-crosser
- double-dealer
- Judas
- quisling
- recreant
- serpent
- snake
- turncoat
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
She has been called a traitor to the liberal party's cause. He was a traitor who betrayed his country by selling military secrets to the enemy.
Recent Examples on the Web Communists and hard-liners consider Gorbachev a traitor for allowing East European countries to break free of Soviet control, and for presiding over the dissolution of the Communist Party in 1991. 
Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2022 Hindsight has judged the AGF harshly, and Conwell-Evans in particular as a fellow traveler, even a traitor. Dominic Green, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2022 Knowing how his true nature, though, Coulson, Tony Stark, and ironically, the HYDRA traitor Jasper Sitwell advocated on SHIELD's behalf that Blonsky not be selected, and Ross agreed. Evan Romano, Men's Health, 25 Aug. 2022 He was supported by many Lebanese Christians but considered a traitor by others for his cooperation with Israel, which invaded Lebanon in a 1982 war. Abbas Al Lawati, CNN, 24 Aug. 2022 Other missives threaten her family or call her a traitor. Elizabeth L. T. Moore, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2022 Many art critics and friends of Guston reacted in horror, seeing him as a traitor to abstract art. Peter Saenger, WSJ, 22 Apr. 2022 My objective as an artist is to be a traitor to that culture, not to uplift it. Evan Nicole Brown, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2022 When Katarina reveals that she's been setting Reddington up all along to be branded as a traitor to the U.S. government, things truly become violent and Ilya Koslov comes flying in to get Reddington off Katarina. Jodi Walker, EW.com, 17 June 2021 See More
Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2022 Hindsight has judged the AGF harshly, and Conwell-Evans in particular as a fellow traveler, even a traitor. Dominic Green, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2022 Knowing how his true nature, though, Coulson, Tony Stark, and ironically, the HYDRA traitor Jasper Sitwell advocated on SHIELD's behalf that Blonsky not be selected, and Ross agreed. Evan Romano, Men's Health, 25 Aug. 2022 He was supported by many Lebanese Christians but considered a traitor by others for his cooperation with Israel, which invaded Lebanon in a 1982 war. Abbas Al Lawati, CNN, 24 Aug. 2022 Other missives threaten her family or call her a traitor. Elizabeth L. T. Moore, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2022 Many art critics and friends of Guston reacted in horror, seeing him as a traitor to abstract art. Peter Saenger, WSJ, 22 Apr. 2022 My objective as an artist is to be a traitor to that culture, not to uplift it. Evan Nicole Brown, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2022 When Katarina reveals that she's been setting Reddington up all along to be branded as a traitor to the U.S. government, things truly become violent and Ilya Koslov comes flying in to get Reddington off Katarina. Jodi Walker, EW.com, 17 June 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English traytour, from Anglo-French traitre, from Latin traditor, from tradere to hand over, deliver, betray, from trans-, tra- trans- + dare to give — more at date
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing traitor
Kids Definition
traitor
noun
trai·tor ˈtrā-tər
1
: a person who is not loyal or true to a friend, duty, cause, or belief or is false to a personal duty
2
: a person who betrays his or her country : a person who commits treason
traitors
noun
as in betrayers
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance accused by her family of being a traitor when she sold their traditionally animal-friendly business to a competitor known to use animals for testing its products Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- betrayers
- turncoats
- serpents
- conspirators
- snakes
- renegades
- quislings
- collaborators
- backstabbers
- informers
- apostates
- informants
- Judases
- double-crossers
- subversives
- intriguers
- collaborationists
- subverters
- deserters
- gossipers
- plotters
- gossips
- double-dealers
- sellouts
- schemers
- rats
- coconspirators
- defectors
- recreants
- co-conspirators
- snitches
- squealers
- accommodationists
- tattlers
- gossipmongers
- talkers
- tattletales
- rumormongers
- blabbermouths
- stool pigeons
- snitchers
- talebearers
- telltales