| English Dictionary |
UNFAITHFUL
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Dictionary entry overview: What does unfaithful mean?
• UNFAITHFUL (adjective)
The adjective UNFAITHFUL has 4 senses:
1. not true to duty or obligation or promises
2. having sexual relations with someone other than your husband or wife, or your boyfriend or girlfriend
3. having the character of, or characteristic of, a traitor
4. not trustworthy
Familiarity information: UNFAITHFUL used as an adjective is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Not true to duty or obligation or promises
Context example:
an unfaithful lover
Similar:
apostate (not faithful to religion or party or cause)
perfidious; punic; treacherous (tending to betray; especially having a treacherous character as attributed to the Carthaginians by the Romans)
untrue (not true to an obligation or trust)
Also:
inconstant (likely to change frequently often without apparent or cogent reason; variable)
untrustworthy; untrusty (not worthy of trust or belief)
Attribute:
faithfulness; fidelity (the quality of being faithful)
Antonym:
faithful (steadfast in affection or allegiance)
Derivation:
unfaithfulness (the quality of being unfaithful)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Having sexual relations with someone other than your husband or wife, or your boyfriend or girlfriend
Context example:
her husband was unfaithful
Similar:
adulterous; cheating; two-timing (not faithful to a spouse or lover)
Antonym:
faithful (not having sexual relations with anyone except your husband or wife, or your boyfriend or girlfriend)
Derivation:
unfaithfulness (the quality of being unfaithful)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Having the character of, or characteristic of, a traitor
Synonyms:
faithless; traitorous; treasonable; treasonous; unfaithful
Context example:
a lying traitorous insurrectionist
Similar:
disloyal (deserting your allegiance or duty to leader or cause or principle)
Derivation:
unfaithfulness (the quality of being unfaithful)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Not trustworthy
Context example:
an unfaithful reproduction
Similar:
inaccurate (not accurate)
Context examples
A subtype of delusional disorder characterized by the central delusional theme that the individual's spouse or lover is unfaithful.
(Jealous Type Delusional Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)
Soon after, with a drink all round, we lay down to sleep, and the outside of Silver's vengeance was to put George Merry up for sentinel and threaten him with death if he should prove unfaithful.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
Neither entreaty nor courtly remonstrance came from the English prince; but Sir Hugh Calverley passed silently over the border with his company, and the blazing walls of the two cities of Miranda and Puenta de la Reyna warned the unfaithful monarch that there were other metals besides gold, and that he was dealing with a man to whom it was unsafe to lie.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
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