faith

[feyth]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR faith ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.

belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.

belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.

belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.

a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.

the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.

the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.

Christian Theology. the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.

Idioms

in faith, in truth; indeed: In faith, he is a fine lad.

Origin of faith

1200–50; Middle English feith < Anglo-French fed, Old French feid, feit < Latin fidem, accusative of fidēs trust, akin to fīdere to trust. See confide

Related formsmul·ti·faith, adjective

Faith

[feyth]

noun

a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for faith

confidence, belief, conviction, acceptance, loyalty, truth, hope, denomination, religion, sect, doctrine, church, teaching, principle, truthfulness, certitude, fealty, faithfulness, credence, constancy

Examples from the Web for faith

Contemporary Examples of faith

Charlie ridiculed my faith and culture and I died defending his right to do so.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists
Michael Daly
January 9, 2015
He hits bottom at Rocamadour, a sanctuary in the Dordogne known as a citadel of faith devoted to Mary.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President
Pierre Assouline
January 9, 2015
The comedian responded to the deadly attack on a French satirical magazine by renewing his recent criticisms of the Islamic faith.
Bill Maher: Hundreds of Millions of Muslims Support Attack on ‘Charlie Hebdo’
Lloyd Grove
January 8, 2015
After the screening, Jolie, who says she renewed her faith in “the divine” during filming, met briefly with the pope.
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 8, 2015
An atheist counsels his fellow non-believers on how not to talk to people of faith.
The Case Against In-Your-Face Atheism
Steve Neumann
January 4, 2015

Historical Examples of faith

One might have been a model for the seraphs of Christian faith, the other an Olympian deity.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
The city-pent, as we have intimated, must take this season largely on faith.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
And he was both to batter it down, for he still had the gambler's faith in his luck.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Yet in the Protectionist dispensation, this has become an article of faith.
'Tis Sixty Years Since
Charles Francis Adams
Have faith in me for a week, mother, and see if I don't earn something in that time.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger

British Dictionary definitions for faith

faith

noun

strong or unshakeable belief in something, esp without proof or evidence

a specific system of religious beliefsthe Jewish faith

Christianity trust in God and in his actions and promises

a conviction of the truth of certain doctrines of religion, esp when this is not based on reason

complete confidence or trust in a person, remedy, etc

any set of firmly held principles or beliefs

allegiance or loyalty, as to a person or cause (esp in the phrases keep faith, break faith)

bad faith insincerity or dishonesty

good faith honesty or sincerity, as of intention in business (esp in the phrase in good faith)

interjection

archaic indeed; really (also in the phrases by my faith, in faith)

Word Origin for faith

C12: from Anglo-French feid, from Latin fidēs trust, confidence

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for faith

mid-13c., "duty of fulfilling one's trust," from Old French feid, foi "faith, belief, trust, confidence, pledge," from Latin fides "trust, faith, confidence, reliance, credence, belief," from root of fidere "to trust," from PIE root *bheidh- (cf. Greek pistis; see bid). For sense evolution, see belief. Theological sense is from late 14c.; religions called faiths since c.1300.

Idioms and Phrases with faith

faith

see act of faith; in bad (good) faith; leap of faith; on faith; pin one's hopes (faith) on.