traitor
A traitor is someone who betrays their trust or loyalty to another person or group. They often do this for personal gain.
When we say "traitor", we usually think of someone who has done something wrong, like working against their own side during a war or stealing secrets from their employer. But the word can also be used more broadly - someone might call you a traitor if you're acting in a way that goes against what they expect from you. For example, if you were planning to start your own business but instead ended up joining a rival company, your old friends might think of you as a traitor for "betraying" their trust by leaving them behind.
It's worth noting that the word 'traitor' can be used differently depending on its part of speech. As a noun, it refers to someone who has betrayed their trust or loyalty. As a verb, it means to betray someone else - for example: "She was accused of trying to sabotage the project and, if guilty, would have been a traitor to her team."
How common is "traitor"?
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
noun
Someone who violates an allegiance and betrays their country; someone guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers their country to an enemy, or yields up any fort or place entrusted to their defense, or surrenders an army or body of troops to the enemy, unless when vanquished.
Example: After World War I, the communists and Jews were accused to be traitors by the German right wing (the "stab-in-the-back myth"), ultimately culminating in their persecution and massacre.
Real examples of "traitor" in context
