fidelity

[fi-del-i-tee, fahy-]

noun

plural

fidelities 

1. strict observance of promises, duties, etc..

   a servant's fidelity.

2. loyalty.

   fidelity to one's country.

   Antonyms: disloyalty

3. conjugal faithfulness.

4. adherence to fact or detail.

5. accuracy; exactness.

   The speech was transcribed with great fidelity.

   Synonyms: rigor, faithfulness, precision

6. Audio, Video.,  the degree of accuracy with which sound or images are recorded or reproduced.

fidelity

/ fɪˈdɛlɪtɪ /

noun

1. devotion to duties, obligations, etc; faithfulness

2. loyalty or devotion, as to a person or cause

3. faithfulness to one's spouse, lover, etc

4. adherence to truth; accuracy in reporting detail

5. electronics the degree to which the output of a system, such as an amplifier or radio, accurately reproduces the characteristics of the input signal See also high fidelity

Other Word Forms

• nonfidelity noun
• unfidelity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fidelity¹

First recorded in 1500–10; late Middle English fidelite (from Middle French ), from Latin fidēlitās, equivalent to fidēli- (stem of fidēlis “loyal,” equivalent to fidē(s) faith + -lis adjective suffix) + -tās -ty ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of fidelity¹

C15: from Latin fidēlitās , from fidēlis faithful, from fidēs faith, loyalty

Synonym Study

See loyalty.

Example Sentences

Cohn’s sound design also offered a taste of the grimy, intense New York of the 1970s, but he wanted to remain flexible in terms of period fidelity.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The breadth of McCartney and Wings’ abiding work is presented in breathtaking high fidelity, no less, affording listeners a sense of the energy, urgency, and passion inherent in the group’s finest moments.

Read more on Salon

Roth, in Mr. Zipperstein’s telling, probed Jewish life—and its collision with American ambition—with more fidelity than any rabbinic sermon could offer.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Another key question is how does the cell then pick what are the microcompartments to keep and what are the microcompartments to remove when you enter G1, to ensure fidelity of gene expression?"

Read more on Science Daily

As qubits are sensitive to disturbances in the environment that could impact the performance of a quantum system, high fidelity is key.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• devotion 
• loyalty