faithfulness

American  

[feyth-fuhl-nis] / ˈfeɪθ fəl nɪs /

noun

1. lasting loyalty and trustworthiness in relationships, especially marriage and friendship.

   A wedding ring is a symbol of unending love and faithfulness to each other.

   I remember the faithfulness of so many friends and family who sent me emails, visited me, and stood with me during my ordeal.

2. the fact or quality of being true to one’s word or commitments, as to what one has pledged to do, professes to believe, etc..

   In the Bible, the psalmist David reports God's faithfulness in keeping promises.

3. the fact or quality of being dedicated and steadfast in performing one’s duty, working for a cause, etc..

   We lawyers have an ethical obligation to represent our clients with diligence, faithfulness, and competence.

4. the quality of adhering to fact, a standard, or an original; accuracy.

   Professional translators often focus on the faithfulness of a translation to the original, with too little attention to the naturalness or comprehensibility of the translated version.

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Other Word Forms

• overfaithfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of faithfulness

faithful ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

Because real leadership isn’t measured by proximity to power, but by faithfulness to truth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

Their monogamy has also attracted the unwelcome attention of local traditional healers, who claim that the parts of crested crane may bring faithfulness from a partner - or good luck.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2025

But just as incredibly, he wasn’t called a liar for claiming faithfulness that wasn’t there.

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2024

"It delivered a consistent improvement in faithfulness, which was confirmed by the medical doctors who checked our work."

From Science Daily • Feb. 22, 2024

That very feminine faithfulness of the girl irritated him, but he had not admitted this to himself.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

Related Words

• adherence
• allegiance
• fealty
• fidelity