fidelity

American  

[fi-del-i-tee, fahy-] / fɪˈdɛl ɪ ti, faɪ- /

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.

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fidelity British  

/ 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

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Related Words

See loyalty.

Other Word Forms

• nonfidelity noun
• unfidelity noun

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

Example Sentences

The mathematics are proprietary, but Hassibi said the effect was much like compressing a digital photograph without losing visual fidelity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Her take is a maelstrom of splendid beauty and doomed love, colliding at a feverish pace that makes the fidelity to Brontë’s book moot.

From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026

As an impoverished and ailing Mozart struggles to complete his “Requiem” before his death at the age of 35, Salieri is torn between his fidelity to music and his loyalty to his own career.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

"It's an intimate space, dedicated to fidelity and love," she explained.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

A military surgeon would have admired the clinical fidelity of the artist’s rendition of all Christ’s wounds—the spear wound, the thorn wounds, the holes that were made by the iron spikes.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

Related Words

• devotion
• loyalty