faithfully
Americanadverb
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in a strict or thorough way.
This plan was faithfully carried out to the last detail.
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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.
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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.
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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
Etymology
Origin of faithfully
Explanation
To act faithfully is to behave in a dependable and honorable way. A dog who waits faithfully outside your school until you get out of class is devoted and trustworthy. The adverb faithfully describes an action or behavior that's faithful — in other words, it's steadfast, loyal and reliable. An actor's parents might faithfully attend every play he's in, no matter how small his role is. Your devout uncle might faithfully attend church every single Sunday. In both examples, a person is dependable. The earliest meaning of faithfully was "acting in a way full of (religious) faith," or being pious, especially as a Christian.
Vocabulary lists containing faithfully
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The trick is not to recreate the chicken bake so faithfully that you simply end up with one lying open-faced on a pie crust.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
"I swear ... that I will faithfully carry out the duties of president of the republic," Peru's ninth president in a decade stated before Congress.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
“We take our duty to prepare a title and summary and ballot label seriously, and we are confident the court will agree we have faithfully executed that duty here,” said a spokesperson for Bonta.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
It also called on Britain to "faithfully fulfil" its obligations under the China–UK Bilateral Investment Treaty.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
He hears the voices of the boys in his Kameradschaft back in Zollverein sing, Live faithfully, fight bravely, and die laughing.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
