Oathbreaker

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. One who violates a solemn promise or sworn commitment, especially by betraying trust or failing to fulfill a binding vow
2. One who violates a sworn vow or solemn promise and thereby commits treachery or breach of faith
3. A person who deliberately fails to honor a binding oath or sacred commitment they have made

Etymology: "Oathbreaker" is a plain compound: "oath" joined to "breaker," someone who breaks or violates something. Both parts are native English. "Oath" comes from Old English "āþ," a solemn promise invoking a sacred witness, and "breaker" comes from the verb "break," with the "-er" ending marking a person or thing that performs the action. The pairing is a straightforward description rather than a coined term, so the word's meaning follows directly from its parts: a person who fails to keep a sworn promise. The sense of breaking is literal in its origin, since a vow was once thought of as something bound and then snapped, as a rope or a chain would be.

Synonyms: traitor, betrayer, perjurer

Antonyms: loyalist, honest person