betrayal
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betrayal
The act of seriously abusing the trust of a person or group by revealing secrets, acting disloyally, or breaking shared values. This can refer to personal relationships or to revealing state secrets to an enemy.
Sein Verrat an den eigenen Freunden wurde nie verziehen.
His betrayal of his own friends was never forgiven.
The noun 'der Verrat' (betrayal) is derived directly from the verb 'verraten' (to betray/reveal). If someone betrays something (e.g., a secret), that person commits a betrayal.
Er hat sein Team verraten, und dieser Verrat wiegt schwer.
He betrayed his team, and this betrayal weighs heavily.
To express who or what was betrayed, the preposition 'an' followed by the dative is used.
Das war ein Verrat an unserer Freundschaft.
That was a betrayal of our friendship.
'Verrat' (betrayal) is often used with the verb 'begehen' (to commit). A very serious form is 'Landesverrat' (treason), meaning betrayal of one's own country.
Der Spion hat Verrat an seinem Heimatland begangen.
The spy committed treason against his home country.
clearance sale / sell-off
Both words can express sharp criticism of disloyal behavior. „Verrat“ emphasizes a serious breach of trust or shared values; „Ausverkauf“ focuses more on important ideals being sacrificed out of self-interest or for short-term advantages. Choose „Verrat“ for disloyalty, and „Ausverkauf“ for selling off one’s values.
Die Weitergabe der geheimen Pläne an den Feind war ein schwerer Verrat.
Passing the secret plans to the enemy was a serious betrayal.
Die Aufgabe der gemeinsamen Ideale für einen schnellen Vorteil wurde als Ausverkauf kritisiert.
Giving up their shared ideals for a quick advantage was criticized as a sell-off.
