Trivia Time

Which word(s) did not appear in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance when it was legally adopted in 1942?

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allegiance

American  

[uh-lee-juhns] / əˈli dʒəns /

noun

• allegiances
  plural

1. the loyalty of a citizen to their government or of a subject to their sovereign.

   Antonyms:

   treason

2. loyalty or devotion to some person, group, cause, or the like.

   Antonyms:

   treachery

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allegiance British  

/ əˈliːdʒəns /

noun

1. loyalty, as of a subject to his sovereign or of a citizen to his country

2. (in feudal society) the obligations of a vassal to his liege lord See also fealty homage

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Usage

What does allegiance mean? Allegiance is loyalty or faithfulness, especially to a person or cause. Allegiance usually refers to a loyalty that is considered extremely important, such as to a country or leader. If you went to school in the United States, you’re familiar with the Pledge of Allegiance, which is an oath of loyalty to the country recited by schoolchildren and at patriotic ceremonies. This type of formal loyalty is what’s implied by allegiance. The adjective form of allegiance is allegiant. Example: Her supporters’ allegiance never lessened, even in the aftermath of the scandal.

Synonym Usage

See loyalty.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonallegiance
  noun
• overallegiance
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• allegiances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of allegiance

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English aliegiaunce, equivalent to a- probably a- ⁵ + liege liege + -aunce -ance; compare Middle French ligeance

Explanation

Every second grader knows how to pledge allegiance to the flag, but do you think they realize when they place their right hand over their hearts that they're expressing loyalty to what we call the "Red, White, and Blue"? You can pledge your allegiance to a flag or swear your allegiance to a government or cause. Either way you're expressing your commitment and devotion in the firmest sense of the word. The liege in allegiance comes from the Old French word meaning "lord and master," which is who you would have been swearing your allegiance to if you'd been a servant in France centuries ago.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

allegiance allegiances

But he has now switched his international allegiance to England and played for the Under-17 team.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

England's choice of allegiance, in other words, may have carried consequences far beyond Rome.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

“Warsh’s pledge of allegiance to the target seems to have convinced the business press he is an inflation hawk,” said Ethan Harris, former chief economist at BofA Securities.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

“I signed, I swore allegiance, and it was all over.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Part of the speech had been about dying, but more was about giving allegiance to Kyrria and its rulers, King Jerrold, Prince Charmont, and the entire royal family.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

And truck buyers are often deeply loyal so the Detroit companies hunt for any edge to convince customers to switch allegiances.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

But this might be more about personal allegiances than ideological nuances.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Dudamel remained a big supporter of his successor, even after Harding revealed his British allegiances when he compared baseball to cricket.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

"Talking to customers in the back of the cab, you can see allegiances switching," said Steve, 63, a taxi driver.

From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026

No matter how hard he tried, he never developed any imperishable allegiances to the washed-out, bloodless Marine bases where he had lived for most of his seventeen years.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• adherence
• dedication
• deference
• devotion
• faithfulness
• fealty
• fidelity
• homage
• obedience
• obligation