🕵️ A traitor 🐶 A rat-catching dog

ratter

2 9.9

A person who betrays their friends or group

noun
/ˈrætər/

Offensive

: rata (ofensivo)

He was branded a ratter after abandoning his longtime political allies.

Examples

The community banded together to shun the ratter who revealed their secrets.
During the conflict, becoming a ratter meant losing the respect of your peers.
No one trusted her anymore, suspecting she was a ratter in their midst.
He was labeled a ratter after switching sides.
Don't be a ratter when your friends need support.
In his speech, he called anyone who betrayed their friends a ratter.
After choosing to side with the opposing party, many labeled him a ratter.

Synonyms

traitor

vsratter

Offensive

381 3.9

A person who breaks the trust of their country, group, or friend to help an enemy

is a general word for abandoning a cause, party, or friends

rat

vsratter

Offensive

330 7.3

A person who betrays a group by telling secret information to outsiders

is neutral and fits formal and informal cases of abandoning loyalty

renegade

vsratter

46 7.9

A person who leaves and betrays their group

is broader, applying to any abandonment or betrayal, not only rebellion

defector

vsratter

43 7.6

A person who leaves their country or group to join an opposing side

is broader, covering any betrayal or desertion of a party or friends

betrayer

vsratter

26 6.3

A person who breaks someone's trust by revealing secrets

focuses on abandoning a cause or group rather than just revealing secrets

turncoat

vsratter

Offensive

13 8.2

A person who leaves their group to join the opposite side

covers leaving or betraying a cause or friends without necessarily joining rivals

apostate

vsratter

Formal

11 9.9

A person who leaves a religion, party or cause and is seen as disloyal

is used for leaving or betraying friends or causes in many contexts

backstabber

vsratter

Offensive

8 5.1

A person who acts friendly but secretly betrays someone who trusts them

applies more widely to abandoning causes or groups, not only personal deceit

deserter

vsratter

4 5.1

A person who leaves a group or cause and is seen as disloyal

includes betrayal of causes or friends beyond physical abandonment

treacher

vsratter

Offensive

1 9.9

A person who betrays trust or their country

is the everyday modern term for leaving or betraying a cause

recreant

vsratter

Offensive

1 9.9

A person who is not brave and betrays friends or causes

is the general term for deserting or betraying without implying cowardice

treasonist

vsratter

Formal

9.9

A person who betrays their country by giving secrets to enemies

is broader, applying to betrayal of causes, friends, or groups generally

Judas

vsratter

Offensive

8.4

A person who betrays a friend while seeming loyal

is the more general label for anyone abandoning a cause or friends

ratfink

vsratter

Offensive

9.9

A person who betrays others and cannot be trusted

is a neutral term for abandoning a cause or betraying friends

Antonyms

supporter

817 1.0

A person who backs a team or a cause

loyalist

42 4.8

A person who supports a government, leader, or cause during a revolt

How Loyal

loyalist

42 4.8

supporter

817 1.0

ratter

Offensive

2 9.9

turncoat

Offensive

13 8.2

Surface Forms

ratter singular

ratters plural

Morphology

ratter = rat (semi-transparent) = rat + er

Formation is predictable (rat + -er) but requires knowledge of the informal/slang sense 'rat' = informer/traitor, so learners may not infer the meaning from the animal sense alone.

Etymology

Ratter (as a traitor) comes from calling someone a rat (an animal seen as sneaky) with the ending -er for 'one who'. That's why a ratter means someone who 'betrays' or leaves their friends or cause.