fidelity
Americannoun
-
strict observance of promises, duties, etc..
a servant's fidelity.
-
fidelity to one's country.
- Antonyms:
- disloyalty
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conjugal faithfulness.
-
adherence to fact or detail.
-
accuracy; exactness.
The speech was transcribed with great fidelity.
- Synonyms:
- rigor, faithfulness, precision
-
Audio, Video. the degree of accuracy with which sound or images are recorded or reproduced.
noun
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devotion to duties, obligations, etc; faithfulness
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loyalty or devotion, as to a person or cause
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faithfulness to one's spouse, lover, etc
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adherence to truth; accuracy in reporting detail
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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
Synonym Usage
See loyalty.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of fidelity
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
Explanation
Fidelity is the quality of being faithful or loyal. Dogs are famous for their fidelity. Fidelity comes from the Latin root fides, which means faith, so fidelity is the state of being faithful. Marital fidelity is faithfulness to your spouse. If you're a journalist, your reports should have fidelity to the facts. Someone without fidelity to a religion or group belief is called an infidel.
Vocabulary lists containing fidelity
ASVAB Word Knowledge
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"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"
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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.
The one place they urged some fidelity to the past versions was in the score.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
But over time, the belief is that the fidelity of both physical qubits and logical qubits will improve.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
In many cases, critics frame objections around “historical accuracy” or fidelity to source material, while supporters argue mythology and fiction have always evolved through reinterpretation and artistic adaptation.
From Salon • May 16, 2026
The team also evaluated the fidelity of the entangled measurement.
From Science Daily • May 13, 2026
Both accepted the call out of a combination of fidelity to Lawrence and duty to country—the latter communicated to them also by Lawrence, who emphasized that their work would be crucial to the war effort.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
