Perfidious Albion

proper noun

The United Kingdom, seen as a country that is manipulative, deceptive, or treacherous on the international stage.

OriginFrench perfide Albion →
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Meanings

Perfidious Albion1

proper noun
  1. derogatorypoetic or international relationsThe United Kingdom, seen as a country that is manipulative, deceptive, or treacherous on the international stage.

    Vice-President Dick Cheney viewed the move by Britain—“perfidious Albion,” as he put it—as “a stab in the back,” according to a former senior intelligence official.

    2009 March 30, Dick Cheney, quotee, “Albion, I stab at thee”, in The Economist, →ISSN

perfidious Albion2

proper noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of Perfidious Albion.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
england

Origin

  1. Frenchperfide Albion
  2. EnglishPerfidious Albion

Calque of French perfide Albion. First coined by French poet and playwright Augustin Louis de Ximénès at the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French perfide Albion
  • perfide Albionpejorative phrase referring to the United Kingdom
Persian انگلیس پرتدلیس, انگلیس پرتلبیس
  • انگلیس پرتدلیس (engelis-e por-tadlis)pejorative phrase referring to the United Kingdom
  • انگلیس پرتلبیس (engelis-e por-tablis)pejorative phrase referring to the United Kingdom
Cite this entry
APA

Perfidious Albion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Perfidious%20Albion

MLA

“Perfidious Albion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Perfidious%20Albion. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Perfidious Albion,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Perfidious%20Albion.

Source: Perfidious Albion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.