WordGarden.iofaithlessness
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /fˈeɪθləsnəs/
US
- /fˈeɪθləsnəs/
Meanings
Noun
disloyalty or failure to stay true to a promise, duty, or trust
romantic or sexual infidelity to a partner
lack or loss of religious faith
More meaningsFewer meanings
lack of trust or confidence in someone or something
Beyond the definition
Faithlessness is about breaking trust and failing to stay loyal. It can appear in close relationships, in promises, or in duties people were expected to honor. A politician who says one thing and does another shows faithlessness to the voters who believed them. A friend who reveals a secret shows faithlessness to the bond you share. Sometimes it grows slowly as trust wears away; sometimes it arrives in one sharp act of betrayal. It is a heavy word, carrying the feeling of disappointment, hurt, and broken connection.
Faithlessness is the quality of not staying loyal, true, or dependable when loyalty or trust was expected. It often points to a betrayal of trust, commitment, or duty. The word can be used in personal relationships, in friendships, in public life, and sometimes in religious writing, but its central idea is the same: someone has failed to keep faith with another person, a promise, or a shared bond.
Imagine a close friend who smiles to your face but speaks against you in private. Or picture a ruler who keeps making promises to the people and then calmly breaks them. In both cases, the problem is not only the action itself, but the trust that has been damaged. That is why the word feels serious: it suggests a bond was there, and that bond was not honored.
Faithlessness can show itself in many ways: a partner who is untrue, a friend who gives away a secret, a business associate who breaks an agreement, or a government that does not keep its word. It usually implies more than a simple mistake. It suggests a failure of loyalty or honesty, and often a real sense of betrayal.
Historically, the word was often linked to broken oaths, marriage vows, and moral or religious duties. That older tone is still present today, which is why the word sounds weightier than everyday terms like "disloyalty" or "unreliability." When you see faithlessness in a text, it usually signals more than ordinary failure. It points to a broken promise, a damaged bond, and the painful sense that trust has been abandoned.
Examples
- 1
Marriage
She ended the marriage when she could no longer ignore his faithlessness.
- 2
Political ideals
Many voters saw the party's sudden reversal as faithlessness to its own ideals.
- Patternfaithlessness to + person/ideal
not staying loyal or true to them or it
- 3
Religious language
The old hymn asks for forgiveness for human fear and faithlessness.
See also
Similar
- unfaithfulness
- disloyalty
- treachery
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- marital faithlessness
- political faithlessness
- accused of faithlessness
Word family
Explore
- fidelity
- breach of trust
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- faithlessnessnoun