Five of Swords

Q: What does the Five of Swords signify in love?

The Five of Swords in love suggests a lack of emotional support and harmony. It can point to jealousy, ego clashes, power struggles and arguments where one person wants to win at any cost. The card advises honest communication, empathy and a willingness to resolve conflicts instead of keeping score.

Q: How does the Five of Swords relate to marriage?

In marriage, the Five of Swords highlights recurring disagreements and unresolved issues. It can show situations where partners keep revisiting the same fights, or where one partner feels defeated or unheard. The card encourages choosing your battles wisely, stepping back from blame and working together to create healthier patterns.

Q: What does the Five of Swords indicate about career growth?

For career and work, the Five of Swords points to office politics, competition and tension in the workplace. You may achieve results, but at the cost of strained relationships or a hostile environment. The card suggests staying ethical, avoiding power games, and focusing on collaboration rather than trying to win every argument.

Q: Can the Five of Swords indicate challenges in love or career?

Yes. The Five of Swords often illustrates defensive behaviour, misunderstandings and conflicts that come from wounded egos or unspoken resentment. In both love and career it can show people taking things personally or reacting harshly. The advice is to pause, listen and respond thoughtfully instead of escalating the situation.

Q: What advice does the Five of Swords offer for personal growth in relationships or work?

The Five of Swords invites you to practise maturity and self-reflection. It advises you to speak with respect, avoid using words as weapons and set healthy boundaries. In relationships, listen to your partner and own your part in conflict. In career, maintain integrity, stay away from gossip and focus on solutions instead of proving you are right.

Devi Shankar
Jul 5, 2023
5 min read

Updated: Dec 3, 2025

What’s your first impression when you see the Five of Swords? Do you sense viciousness here? Like there are no morals or ethics in this battle. Let us see what this card symbolizes.

Five of Swords Meaning - General

Five of Swords means a battle, and a serious one at that! There is victory (more like a smug or overconfident one) and then, there is defeat, utter defeat. The defeated have given up their swords and are walking away. The victor is gloating over the defeat of his competitors.

Remember, when you get this card, it is important to assess who the querent is – is it the victor or the defeated?

In a general sense, Five of Swords in tarot speaks of a very hostile, competitive environment. There is no diplomacy here. It is open dishonour and action. It represents an environment where egos are running very high. Self-interest prevails over general interest.

It could also symbolize communication that is pretty much one-way, that of the victor, who subdues every other opinion or feedback coming his way.

In a very literal sense, at times, Five of Swords can indicate actual physical violence, such as crime, theft, bullying, rape, murder, assault, abuse, etc. Read it as per the situation of the reading and check for supporting cards.

Let us take a closer look at the two human parts to this card –

The Victor – This person represents someone who is over-confident. There could be self-sabotaging behaviour and probably also deception. This person also will go to any extent to accomplish his tasks, even if they are unethical or illegal. It is an attitude that prioritizes the end over the means.

This card could be a warning to guard against these attributes or behaviours. It is a message to be fair to everyone around and communicate respectfully. Check if you have created your own problems through your behaviour. If yes, you need to change your attitude and actions to find a solution to the problems.

The Defeated – There could be a potential message in this card that one needs to stand up for themselves, rather than letting themselves be bullied or challenged by others. You might be feeling stressed, anxious, and completely drained of energy, but walking away may not be the solution to a problem.

Let us look at the Five of Swords in specific contexts of a love tarot reading and career tarot reading. Remember to apply all the above general readings to the below readings as well.

Five of Swords Love

Love Reading for Relationships

This is definitely not a good card to draw in a relationship reading. One clear message with Five of Swords in love is that ego is controlling the relationship, whether it is of the querent or their partner. Someone is accepting defeat and walking away, and the other doesn’t seem to care.

At the extreme end, one could decipher a physically abusive relationship being a part of the problem. There is also an indication of infidelity or cheating by one of the partners. In either case, there is a need to assess the situation and decide whether walking away is the best option.

This card could signal possible divorce or separation.

Love Reading for Singles

Five of Swords in love for singles is a warning to be careful in choosing your dates. Are you dating people with a darker side? Or are you being mean to people? Either way, this is a warning to be nice and choose nice people.

Also, there is a need to adopt a very cautious approach to dating to avoid any hostilities.

Five of Swords Career & Finance

Five of Swords in career indicates stress, extreme conflict, and lack of communication. There is a general message here to not allow yourself to be victimized, but to stand up for yourself.

Also, as we mentioned under the general reading, be careful to not engage in politics at work and not engage in self-sabotaging behaviour. Take decisions based on every stakeholder’s interest, and not just keeping your personal self-interest in mind.

From a financial standpoint, there is a need to stay away from deceptive people. Be careful of who you deal with and avoid any underhand dealings.

It is important to be fair in money matters. Do not cheat and be way of being cheated.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

1. What does the Five of Swords signify in love?

The Five of Swords represents a lack of emotional support in romantic relationships; whether through jealousy, ego, pride, resentment or a combination of them all. It suggests that when two people enter into a new relationship with their beliefs, feelings, and views about love from their past, they may not be able to connect properly because of the fear of being hurt again. When you’re in a relationship with someone who has an ego problem or when you and your partner argue about something that happened in your relationship before, it will create distance and create a lack of understanding.

2. How does the Five of Swords relate to marriage?

The Five of Swords indicates that you need to choose peace over the right vs. wrong aspect in your relationship and to let go of what happened so that you do not keep arguing about the same things over and over again.

3. What does the Five of Swords indicate about career growth?

The Five of Swords may be found in a work environment; it could indicate competition and/or the use of office politics within your job. It may indicate that you were successful in getting what you wanted, but you sacrificed the relationships you built or trust that you developed with co-workers in order to achieve your objective.

4. Can the Five of Swords indicate challenges in love or career?

The Five of Swords will often illustrate that people may be defensive and have impulsive reactions, as well as create conflict between coworkers or even burn bridges that resulted from a misunderstanding of each other's personalities or egos.

5. What advice does the Five of Swords offer for personal growth in relationships or work?

The Five of Swords asks you to practice maturity and reflection in your relationship and in your career and communicate compassionately. In a romantic relationship, you should listen to your partner's words and look at the feelings behind the words instead of taking the words literally. In your career, create boundaries to protect yourself but at the same time, do not allow yourself to become embroiled in unnecessary battles that drain your energy.

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