faithful

[feyth-fuhl]

adjective

1. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.

2. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant.

   faithful friends.

   Synonyms: staunch, devoted, true

3. reliable, trusted, or believed.

4. strict or thorough in the performance of duty.

   a faithful worker.

5. adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate.

   a faithful account;

   a faithful copy.

   Synonyms: exact, precise

6. Obsolete.,  full of faith; believing.

noun

1. the faithful,

   1. the believers, especially members of a Christian church or adherents of Islam.

   2. the body of loyal members of any party or group.

faithful

/ ˈfeɪθfʊl /

adjective

1. having faith; remaining true, constant, or loyal

2. maintaining sexual loyalty to one's lover or spouse

3. consistently reliable

   a faithful worker

4. reliable or truthful

   a faithful source

5. accurate in detail

   a faithful translation

noun

1. 1. the believers in and loyal adherents of a religious faith, esp Christianity

   2. any group of loyal and steadfast followers

Other Word Forms

• faithfully adverb
• faithfulness noun
• overfaithful adjective
• pseudofaithful adjective
• quasi-faithful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of faithful¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; faith, -ful

Synonym Study

Faithful, constant, loyal imply qualities of stability, dependability, and devotion. Faithful implies long-continued and steadfast fidelity to whatever one is bound to by a pledge, duty, or obligation: a faithful friend. Constant suggests firmness and steadfastness in attachment: a constant affection. Loyal implies unswerving allegiance to a person, organization, cause, or idea: loyal to one's associates, one's country.

Example Sentences

Tennessee Republican Party Chair Scott Golden offered this warning to party faithful last week at the Cumberland County Lincoln Day Dinner in the tiny town of Crab Orchard.

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He, not his faithful functionaries, needs to take the blame.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

One major problem for beleaguered bitcoin right now: investor belief is crucial for continued gains, and right now the faithful are wavering.

Read more on MarketWatch

Does being faithful mean regurgitating an author’s words?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“You must mean our collection of the letters of Agatha Swanburne. There are thousands of them, for she was a faithful correspondent. Luckily, her handwriting was superb.”

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Related Words

• affectionate 
• ardent 
• conscientious 
• dependable 
• devoted 
• dutiful 
• hard-core 
• honest 
• honorable 
• loving 
• obedient 
• patriotic 
• resolute 
• scrupulous 
• sincere 
• staunch 
• steadfast 
• true 
• trustworthy 
• trusty