loyalty
Americannoun
-
loyalties
plural
noun
-
the state or quality of being loyal
-
(often plural) a feeling of allegiance
Synonym Usage
Loyalty, allegiance, fidelity all imply a sense of duty or of devoted attachment to something or someone. Loyalty connotes sentiment and the feeling of devotion that one holds for one's country, creed, family, friends, etc. Allegiance applies particularly to a citizen's duty to their country, or, by extension, one's obligation to support a party, cause, leader, etc. Fidelity implies unwavering devotion and allegiance to a person, principle, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of loyalty
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English loialte, from Middle French. See loyal, -ty 2
Explanation
A person who feels loyalty to a nation, cause, or person feels a sense of allegiance, commitment, dedication toward them. Loyalty is — you guessed it! — the quality of being loyal. People demonstrate their loyalty to a sports team by cheering for it, win or lose. People demonstrate their loyalty to a political party by voting only for the people of that party. Brand loyalty is the notion (or hope) that once consumers identify strongly with a particular brand or product, like a car or computer, they'll stick with that brand or maker when it comes time to buy new products.
Vocabulary lists containing loyalty
American Naturalization Test, List 2
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Allegiant
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Medieval Christendom, Lessons 3–5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Staging the bout on home soil serves as a long-overdue reward for that loyalty, even if both men are now former world heavyweight champions.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
“You have to be a member of a particular tier in a loyalty scheme or make a particular purchase to get them,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
To Beijing, Hong Kong's plan signals "proactive loyalty and a commitment to integrating into national development goals", he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Online, people joked that a Cheesy Gordita Crunch remained worth the risk and treated their loyalty to the chain almost as a point of honor.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
She is asked to sign an oath of secrecy and loyalty, which she does, without question.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Pushing back against speculation regarding his political loyalties, Ellison pledged “independence” for his newsrooms and argued that the combined entity would control only a fraction of the streaming market.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
“There has been speculation about my politics, my loyalties, my intentions,” Ellison wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Evaton West may indicate that South Africans are moving beyond loyalties forged in the struggle against apartheid, said local government expert Susan Booysen.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Will there be some split loyalties when Haiti take on Brazil?
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Aegon Dragonlord had perhaps a fifth that number, the chroniclers said, and most of those were conscripts from the ranks of the last king he had slain, their loyalties uncertain.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
