# betrayed

/bɪˈtɹeɪd/ (US) · /bɪtɹˈeɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/betrayed
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. broken trust

verb · CEFR B2

to have hurt someone who trusted you by helping their enemy or being dishonest.

For teachers: to have been disloyal to a person, country, or group by acting in the interest of an opponent.

- He felt hurt because his best friend betrayed his secret to the whole school.
- The intelligence officer was convicted after it was discovered he had betrayed his country by selling classified documents to a foreign power.

Usage: Transitive; requires a direct object representing the person or entity whose trust was broken.

### 2. revealed a secret

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to have accidentally shown a feeling or a secret that you wanted to hide.

For teachers: to have unintentionally revealed information or an internal emotional state.

- His shaking hands betrayed how nervous he really was during the interview.
- Although she maintained a calm and professional exterior, the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her deep anxiety about the board's decision.

Usage: Often used with abstract subjects like 'eyes', 'voice', or 'expression'.

### 3. feeling hurt by disloyalty

adjective · CEFR B2

feeling sad and angry because someone you trusted was not loyal to you.

For teachers: experiencing the emotional distress resulting from a violation of trust or a breach of confidence.

- She felt betrayed when she found out they had started the project without her.
- The employees felt deeply betrayed by the management's sudden decision to outsource their department after years of loyal service.

Usage: Used as a predicative adjective after verbs like 'feel' or 'look'.

## Examples

- He felt hurt because his best friend betrayed his secret.
- The general betrayed his country by selling classified military documents to a foreign power.
- Although she maintained a calm and professional exterior during the interview, her trembling hands betrayed her extreme nervousness to the panel.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.