loyal

[loi-uhl]

adjective

1. faithful to one's sovereign, government, or state.

   a loyal subject.

   Synonyms: patriotic
   Antonyms: treacherous, faithless, disloyal, treasonous, traitorous

2. faithful to one's oath, commitments, or obligations.

   to be loyal to a vow.

   Synonyms: true, steadfast, staunch, devoted, constant

3. faithful to any leader, party, or cause, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity.

   a loyal friend.

4. characterized by or showing faithfulness to commitments, vows, allegiance, obligations, etc..

   loyal conduct.

loyal

/ ˈlɔɪəl /

adjective

1. having or showing continuing allegiance

2. faithful to one's country, government, etc

3. of or expressing loyalty

Other Word Forms

• loyally adverb
• loyalness noun
• nonloyal adjective
• nonloyally adverb
• overloyal adjective
• overloyally adverb
• quasi-loyal adjective
• quasi-loyally adverb
• superloyal adjective
• superloyally adverb
• unloyal adjective
• unloyally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of loyal¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French, Old French loial, lei(a)l, from Latin lēgālis legal

Word History and Origins

Origin of loyal¹

C16: from Old French loial, leial, from Latin lēgālis _legal

Synonym Study

See faithful.

Example Sentences

"I think it's quite an unfair move to charge your customers who have been loyal and devoted," she said.

From BBC

Her loyal inner circle did not leak any information.

From Los Angeles Times

While those two programs still attract large, loyal audiences, CBS News is faced with declining ratings and revenue, as viewers continue to move away from traditional TV to digital video offerings.

From Los Angeles Times

In conclusion, it should be worth it to you, loyal Fox News viewers, to lose your health care to make sure some guy from Venezuela doesn’t get to see a doctor.

From Salon

The result, if Hegseth’s efforts succeed, will indeed be a whiter, more aggressive armed forces, and quite likely one significantly more loyal to the current occupant of the Oval Office than to the Constitution.

From Salon

Related Words

• ardent 
• devoted 
• dutiful 
• patriotic 
• staunch 
• steadfast 
• true 
• trustworthy