What does 'perfidy' mean?

Perfidy (noun):

• A deliberate breach of faith or trust; treachery.
• The quality or state of being faithless or disloyal.
• An act or instance of disloyalty or deceit.

From ancient Latin to international law, perfidy carries weight. It’s not just any betrayal—it’s calculated, cold, and culturally significant. Whether used in diplomacy, literature, or your next punchline, perfidy gives betrayal some serious dramatic flair.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The exact meaning and etymology of perfidy and how to pronounce it (finally).
• Why perfidy is a war crime—and how that applies to storytelling and satire.
• How to use perfidy in character development, essays, or comedy routines.
• Surprising synonyms like duplicity, treachery, and the literary-sounding perfidious.
• Pop culture connections from Nat King Cole to vampire novels.

Skit Highlights

• A red-eye vampire mission goes awry when perfidy strikes at the airport.
• Shakespeare in the Street™, accidental podcast pitches, and what per- really means.
• A surprise dive into Latin love songs and why Nat King Cole might be your new GRE vocab coach.

Listener Challenge

Writers: Add perfidy to your next plot twist.
Comedians: Can you write a betrayal bit that uses perfidy in the punchline?
Students: Use perfidy in a sentence worthy of an SAT essay—or roast a fictional villain in 20 words or less.
Tag us with #NerdWordThePodcast and show off your savvy.

Links and Resources

• Visit NerdWordThePodcast.com for more literary-grade vocabulary, satire sketches, and pop-culture references.
• Support the show on Patreon for backstage antics and early episode drops.

Tags

• SAT Vocabulary
• GRE Verbal Prep
• Literary Words
• Comedy Writing
• Character Development Tools
• Betrayal Vocabulary
• Nerd Word Podcast
• Vocabulary for Writers
• Treachery in Literature
• Word Nerds Unite

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