Definitions

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

  • adjective Showing or characterized by a lack of loyalty; not loyal. synonym: faithless.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not true to one's allegiance; false to one's obligation of loyalty to a sovereign, state, or government; not loyal.
  • Not true to one's obligations or engagements; inconstant in duty or in love; faithless; perfidious.

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

  • adjective Not loyal; not true to a sovereign or lawful superior, or to the government under which one lives; false where allegiance is due; faithless

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

  • adjective Of or pertaining to an absence of loyalty; faithless, traitorous.

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

  • adjective deserting your allegiance or duty to leader or cause or principle
  • adjective showing lack of love for your country

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Middle English, from Old French desloial : des-, dis- + loial, loyal; see loyal.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English, from Anglo-Norman desleal, desloial

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word disloyal.

Examples

  • Indeed mamma began to reproach me for what she called my disloyal and treacherous sentiments.

    Daisy in the Field Susan Warner 1852

  • To single out the Jews as being singularly separate and disloyal from the rest of America is the very soul of anti-Semitism.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Why Catholics and Jews? 2010

  • Q If I could follow up on that, doesn't it seem like -- I almost want to use the word disloyal for an official to be told, you can't tell your boss this.

    Press Briefing By Mike Mccurry ITY National Archives 1997

  • Indeed mamma began to reproach me for what she called my disloyal and treacherous sentiments.

    Daisy in the Field 1869

  • Happily, this wayward and pettish, I will not call it disloyal spirit, has passed away, and most of the "Annexationists" are now heartily ashamed of their conduct.

    Roughing It in the Bush 1852

  • James Carville thought it was appropriate to liken Bill Richardson to Judas who sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver when he endorsed Barack Obama and reiterated his incongruous biblical analogy on CNN by saying that Richardson was being "disloyal" - not to the country, but to the Clintons.

    Sam Sedaei: The Price of Loyalty 2008

  • She courageously stood up to people who called her disloyal; one male colleague even punched her for suggesting that the U.S. should wait before it killed innocent civilians.

    Sarah Sayeed, Ph.D.: After 9/11 And War, Building Paths For Co-Existence Ph.D. Sarah Sayeed 2011

  • She courageously stood up to people who called her disloyal; one male colleague even punched her for suggesting that the U.S. should wait before it killed innocent civilians.

    Sarah Sayeed, Ph.D.: After 9/11 And War, Building Paths For Co-Existence Ph.D. Sarah Sayeed 2011

  • She courageously stood up to people who called her disloyal; one male colleague even punched her for suggesting that the U.S. should wait before it killed innocent civilians.

    Sarah Sayeed, Ph.D.: After 9/11 And War, Building Paths For Co-Existence Ph.D. Sarah Sayeed 2011

  • There are a number of behaviors that can be classified as disloyal.

    Surviving in an Angry World Charles F. Stanley 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • I thought WeirdNet #1 was oddly specific until I saw WeirdNet #2...

    January 31, 2009

  • Oddly, though, it doesn't list its trademark generic definition: (n): a human being.

    January 31, 2009

  • Jim called Spock this once.

    September 3, 2012