faithfully

[feyth-fuh-lee]

adverb

1. in a strict or thorough way.

   This plan was faithfully carried out to the last detail.

2. remaining true to one’s promises, allegiance, affection, or beliefs; loyally.

   The old man lived as faithfully as he could, always trying to set an example for younger members of his church.

3. in a way that is reliable and can be trusted or believed.

   The plant will die back to the ground during a hard freeze; however, it faithfully returns in spring.

   In accepting taxpayer funds, the recipient agrees to faithfully account for all monies received from the county.

4. in a way that adheres to fact, a standard, or an original.

   The tribute band tries to faithfully reproduce the sound, style, arrangement, and instrumentation of the original artist’s recordings.

Other Word Forms

• overfaithfully adverb
• pseudofaithfully adverb
• quasi-faithfully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of faithfully¹

faithful ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Even before her recent ascension to CEO status, she was not a mere housewife, fluffing pillows and waiting faithfully for her husband’s return.

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What began as a bluff has grown into the best film festival in Los Angeles, powered by eclectic, unpredictable programming and faithfully enthusiastic audiences.

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To successfully draw enemy fire, it helps to faithfully recreate a real position complete with wheel ruts, ammunition crates and toilets.

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For nearly 250 years, our constitutional order has been that Congress “makes laws” and the President “faithfully executes them.”

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“Only Congress has the power to abolish the Department. The Executive’s task, by contrast, is to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,’” she wrote.

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Related Words

• conscientiously www.thesaurus.com