treacherous

/'tretʃərəs/

Thân thiện

The winding mountain road was treacherous in the heavy fog.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Guilty of or involving betrayal or deception: Describes a person, action, or thing that betrays trust or is likely to betray.
   • Hazardous because of hidden or unpredictable dangers: Describes a situation, condition, or thing that is dangerously unstable or unreliable.

Examples of Usage

• Describing a person or action:
  • He was betrayed by his treacherous allies.
  • The spy's treacherous act endangered the entire operation.
• Describing a dangerous condition:
  • The mountain path is treacherous after the heavy rain.
  • Driving was difficult on the treacherous, icy roads.

Advanced Usage

• "Treacherous memory": Refers to memory that is unreliable or likely to fail.
  • In his old age, he found his own memory to be treacherous.
• "Treacherous waters": A common phrase for seas, rivers, or currents that are dangerously unpredictable.
  • The sailors warned of the treacherous waters near the reef.

Variants and Related Words

• Treacherously (adverb): In a treacherous manner.
  • He acted treacherously against his own family.
• Treachery (noun): The act or an instance of betrayal.
  • His treachery was discovered when the secret documents were leaked.

Synonyms

• Perfidious: Deceitful and untrustworthy (often formal/literary).
• Traitorous: Involving betrayal of trust or allegiance.
• Unreliable: Not able to be relied upon; untrustworthy.
• Hazardous: Risky; dangerous.

Related Phrases

• "Treacherous ground": Literally or figuratively, an unstable or risky situation.
  • The negotiations were on treacherous ground, with both sides distrustful.
• "Treacherous to the core": Emphasizes that someone is fundamentally deceitful.
  • The informant was revealed to be treacherous to the core.

Related Idioms

• "A treacherous smile": A smile that hides deceitful intentions.
  • She greeted her rival with a treacherous smile.
• "Treacherous as quicksand": A simile comparing something to quicksand, implying it entraps or betrays unexpectedly.
  • The political alliance proved to be as treacherous as quicksand.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. tending to betray; especially having a treacherous character as attributed to the Carthaginians by the Romans
   • Punic faith
   • the perfidious Judas
   • the fiercest and most treacherous of foes
   • treacherous intrigues
2. dangerously unstable and unpredictable
   • treacherous winding roads
   • an unreliable trestle

Từ đồng nghĩa

• punic
• perfidious
• unreliable