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

Nesbitt, who is also Stormont's health minister will address the party faithful at its conference, which is taking place in Belfast.

Read more on BBC

Prosecutors and police did not say what became of the faithful dog.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Prof Wiseman thinks the faithful stars are going wrong by so far basing their assumptions on what people do and say, when "the best signals are what people don't say and don't do".

Read more on BBC

The move has been welcomed by the Catholic faithful, who believe that the previous brand had lost its sanctity due to its widespread use outside the church.

Read more on BBC

Last month, Johnson released a faithful cover of Dylan’s “She Belongs To Me.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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