disloyalty

[dis-loi-uhl-tee]

noun

plural

disloyalties 

1. the quality of being disloyal; lack of loyalty; unfaithfulness.

   Synonyms: subversion

2. violation of allegiance or duty, as to a government.

3. a disloyal act.

disloyalty

/ dɪsˈlɔɪəltɪ /

noun

1. the condition or an instance of being unfaithful or disloyal

Word History and Origins

Origin of disloyalty¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French desloiaute, Old French desleaute, equivalent to desleal disloyal + -te -ty ²

Synonym Study

Disloyalty, perfidy, treachery, treason imply betrayal of trust. Disloyalty applies to any violation of loyalty, whether to a person, a cause, or one's country, and whether in thought or in deeds: to suspect disloyalty in a friend. Perfidy implies deliberate breaking of faith or of one's pledges and promises, on which others are relying: It is an act of perfidy to cheat innocent people. Treachery implies being secretly traitorous but seeming friendly and loyal: In treachery deceit is added to disloyalty. Treason is performing overt acts to help the enemies of one's country or government: Acting to aid a hostile power is treason.

Example Sentences

Notably, it also takes aim at artist Travis Scott over his alleged disloyalty.

From Los Angeles Times

I saw that his extravagant gifts were an attempt to compensate for his disloyalty.

From Los Angeles Times

The content may differ — nationalism on the right, moral purity on the left — but the psychological function is strikingly similar: Certainty signals virtue, and doubt is mistaken for disloyalty.

From Salon

But we might trust in knowing that while authoritarianism demands loyalty, it also breeds disloyalty.

From Salon

History has not forgotten Senator Joseph McCarthy’s list of alleged Communists in the State Department and his use of unfair and evidence-free accusations of disloyalty and subversion in order to suppress opposition.

From Salon

Related Words

• breach of trust 
• infidelity 
• sedition 
• treachery 
• treason