treacherous
/'tretʃərəs/
Definition
- 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.
Adjective
-
tending to betray; especially having a treacherous character as attributed to the Carthaginians by the Romans
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Punic faith
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the perfidious Judas
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the fiercest and most treacherous of foes
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treacherous intrigues
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dangerously unstable and unpredictable
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treacherous winding roads
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an unreliable trestle
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