faithful
Americanadjective
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true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.
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steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant.
faithful friends.
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reliable, trusted, or believed.
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strict or thorough in the performance of duty.
a faithful worker.
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adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate.
a faithful account;
a faithful copy.
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Obsolete. full of faith; believing.
noun
adjective
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having faith; remaining true, constant, or loyal
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maintaining sexual loyalty to one's lover or spouse
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consistently reliable
a faithful worker
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reliable or truthful
a faithful source
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accurate in detail
a faithful translation
noun
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of faithful
Explanation
Faithful describes someone who is reliable and consistent. If you're a faithful volunteer at the animal shelter, you show up every Saturday and work hard to help the animals. A faithful friend is loyal and steadfast — it's no wonder that many people consider their dogs to be their most faithful companions. Though faithful usually describes a person, you can also use it to talk about a particularly reliable object, like your faithful hiking boots. There's another sense of faithful that means "remaining true to," like faithful believers who pray and attend religious services regularly.
Vocabulary lists containing faithful
Positive Words to Describe a Person
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Purple Hibiscus
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Words to Describe a Friend
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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.
Nothing in the clip suggests that Grok’s take on the epic poem will be any more faithful than Nolan’s.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The revolutionary faithful have embraced these tests time and time again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Chromosomes do not carry a faithful memory of our ancestors’ social lives.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
He’s faithful and quiet, never drawing the ire of umpires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
Whatever Mrs. was mad about she took out on Pa’s faithful old girl, the Buick Wildcat.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
