faithfully

[feyth-fuh-lee]

adverb

1. in a strict or thorough way.

   This plan was faithfully carried out to the last detail.

2. remaining true to one’s promises, allegiance, affection, or beliefs; loyally.

   The old man lived as faithfully as he could, always trying to set an example for younger members of his church.

3. in a way that is reliable and can be trusted or believed.

   The plant will die back to the ground during a hard freeze; however, it faithfully returns in spring.

   In accepting taxpayer funds, the recipient agrees to faithfully account for all monies received from the county.

4. in a way that adheres to fact, a standard, or an original.

   The tribute band tries to faithfully reproduce the sound, style, arrangement, and instrumentation of the original artist’s recordings.

Other Word Forms

• overfaithfully adverb
• pseudofaithfully adverb
• quasi-faithfully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of faithfully¹

faithful ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

The time between the fourth and fifth seasons is long enough that many fans — save the ones who have been faithfully rewatching and carefully taking notes in preparation — may not remember what happened last.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

On Wednesday Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau used X to demand that Honduran “electoral authorities and the military . . . adhere scrupulously and faithfully to the laws and Constitution of Honduras.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Circumstances spiral, cruelty reasserts itself and The Creature learns — again — that humans will never see him as anything but monstrous, no matter how faithfully he tries to mirror their kindness.

Read more on Salon

Executors have a fiduciary responsibility to carry out the terms of the will faithfully.

Read more on MarketWatch

It took some effort to convince them there was a sizable market for a proxy-voting service that applied the bishops’ guidelines faithfully—but to both companies’ credit, they listened and agreed to work with us.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• conscientiously www.thesaurus.com