betrayed
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to have hurt someone who trusted you by helping their enemy or being dishonest.
v.to have been disloyal to a person, country, or group by acting in the interest of an opponent.
Simple“He felt hurt because his best friend betrayed his secret to the whole school.”
In context“The intelligence officer was convicted after it was discovered he had betrayed his country by selling classified documents to a foreign power.”
UsageTransitive; requires a direct object representing the person or entity whose trust was broken.
- 02 C1 Advanced
v.to have accidentally shown a feeling or a secret that you wanted to hide.
v.to have unintentionally revealed information or an internal emotional state.
Simple“His shaking hands betrayed how nervous he really was during the interview.”
In context“Although she maintained a calm and professional exterior, the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her deep anxiety about the board's decision.”
UsageOften used with abstract subjects like 'eyes', 'voice', or 'expression'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.feeling sad and angry because someone you trusted was not loyal to you.
adj.experiencing the emotional distress resulting from a violation of trust or a breach of confidence.
Simple“She felt betrayed when she found out they had started the project without her.”
In context“The employees felt deeply betrayed by the management's sudden decision to outsource their department after years of loyal service.”
UsageUsed as a predicative adjective after verbs like 'feel' or 'look'.
“Gianni Infantino told a reporter “I’ll see you at the hairdresser’s” after he was asked whether he had betrayed football over his aborted World Cup sell-off plan.”