Learn English – Difference between betrayal and cheating

phrase-usage

I've seen some movies in which a king tells someone that he betrayed him.

But when a man betrays his wife, the wife doesn't say "You betrayed me".
She says "You cheated on me".

Why? What's the difference between "cheating on someone" and "betraying someone"?

Best Answer

There are no hard and fast rules in these cases. Both words can be used by either party and be entirely correct. Betrayed is a stronger statement of deception than cheating and a deceived wife can well say she was betrayed. A king who was swindled at cards could quite rightly say he was cheated rather than betrayed.