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perfido

treacherous; perfidious

adjective PER-fee-doh Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Personality

Origin: From Latin perfidus (faithless), from per- (through) + fides (faith).

Also means

wicked; villainous

Usage Note

Perfido implies a deeper, calculated treachery than simply 'dishonest' — it describes someone who deliberately betrays trust. In literature and formal Italian it carries a near-melodramatic weight ('il perfido traditore'). In everyday speech Italians more often say traditore or sleale; perfido reads as elevated or ironic.

Examples

"Quel politico perfido ha tradito i suoi alleati."

Natural Translation

That treacherous politician betrayed his allies.

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