Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or marked by perfidy; treacherous. synonym: faithless.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Faithless; basely treacherous; false-hearted.
  • Proceeding from or characterized by perfidy or base treachery; false: as, a perfidious act.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Guilty of perfidy; violating good faith or vows; false to trust or confidence reposed; treacherous; faithless.
  • adjective Involving, or characterized by, perfidy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of, pertaining to, or representing perfidy; disloyal to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective tending to betray; especially having a treacherous character as attributed to the Carthaginians by the Romans

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Then Miriam was furious, and complained to Minna about what she called her perfidious conduct; but Minna only laughed, and told her she could have Petrofsky instead. "

    John Thorndyke's Cases related by Christopher Jervis and edited by R. Austin Freeman 1902

  • We wouldn't lie to you about the history of "perfidious" -- even though the word itself suggests deceitfulness.

    Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day 2010

  • If soldiers are entitled to deal harshly with wounded enemy soldiers who might be engaged in perfidious acts, surely that entitlement can’t be contingent on holding a mini-trial right there to determine the matter.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Phil Carter responds: 2004

  • From the end of 1796 the Venetian Senate secretly continued its armaments, and the whole conduct of that Government announced intentions which have been called perfidious, but the only object of which was to defeat intentions still more perfidious.

    Complete Project Gutenberg Collection of Memoirs of Napoleon Various

  • 'Your nation have well been called perfidious, Major Counsellor.

    A Modern Mercenary Hesketh Vernon Hesketh Prichard 1899

  • From the end of 1796 the Venetian Senate secretly continued its armaments, and the whole conduct of that Government announced intentions which have been called perfidious, but the only object of which was to defeat intentions still more perfidious.

    The Memoirs of Napoleon Bourrienne, Louis Antoine Fauvelet de 1836

  • From the end of 1796 the Venetian Senate secretly continued its armaments, and the whole conduct of that Government announced intentions which have been called perfidious, but the only object of which was to defeat intentions still more perfidious.

    Memoirs of Napoleon — Volume 01 Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne 1801

  • From the end of 1796 the Venetian Senate secretly continued its armaments, and the whole conduct of that Government announced intentions which have been called perfidious, but the only object of which was to defeat intentions still more perfidious.

    Memoirs of Napoleon — Complete Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne 1801

  • Jews and Judaism are characterized as the perfidious enemy of Islam and Israel becomes the Salmon Rushdie of the nations

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] Dianne3000 2010

  • - where Jews and Judaism are characterized as the perfidious enemy of Islam, and Israel becomes the Salmon Rushdie of the nations.

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] Dianne3000 2010

Comments

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  • ...a perfidious cistern wakes me to stale

    potato crisps knocking the lintel...

    - Peter Reading, November 6th, from For the Municipality's Elderly, 1974

    June 22, 2008

  • Man in general seems a deceitful, tricky, dangerous, perfidious animal

    September 16, 2010