as in traitor
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance
warned that all quislings would be punished without mercy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of quisling
It is aided in its unceasing efforts to gain more power and undermine our institutions and rights by a Congress in which quislings claim a majority.
—
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2026
But the president's new FTC chair, Andrew Ferguson, is an outspoken Big Tech critic on X and is signaling the panel won't be stacked with pro-industry quislings.
—Marc Caputo, Axios, 10 Feb. 2025
Erdogan, meanwhile, lambasted Kilicdaroglu as a quisling who is in cahoots with the West and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a Kurdish separatist group that both Ankara and Washington consider a terrorist entity.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2023
And Kilicdaroglu was an easy mark for Erdogan, who has belittled him for years and cast him during the campaign as both a terrorist and a quisling for Western interests — accusations that stuck in the minds of some voters.
—Kareem Fahim, Washington Post, 27 May 2023
This may sound like a technical squabble among quislings.
—David Z. Morris, Slate Magazine, 6 June 2017
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 21 Mar. 2026
But the president's new FTC chair, Andrew Ferguson, is an outspoken Big Tech critic on X and is signaling the panel won't be stacked with pro-industry quislings.
—Marc Caputo, Axios, 10 Feb. 2025
Erdogan, meanwhile, lambasted Kilicdaroglu as a quisling who is in cahoots with the West and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a Kurdish separatist group that both Ankara and Washington consider a terrorist entity.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2023
And Kilicdaroglu was an easy mark for Erdogan, who has belittled him for years and cast him during the campaign as both a terrorist and a quisling for Western interests — accusations that stuck in the minds of some voters.
—Kareem Fahim, Washington Post, 27 May 2023
This may sound like a technical squabble among quislings.
—David Z. Morris, Slate Magazine, 6 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quisling
traitor
Noun
-
Many people flooded the comments with support for California gubernatorial front-runner Xavier Becerra while admonishing Espina, accusing him of being a traitor for endorsing Tom Steyer.—
Carlos De Loera,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
-
Going home would mean the risk of being considered a traitor or an enemy of the state in Russia.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quisling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quisling. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
