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fealty

American  
[fee-uhl-tee] / ˈfi əl ti /

noun

plural

fealties

  1. History/Historical.

    1. fidelity to a lord.

    2. the obligation or the engagement to be faithful to a lord, usually sworn to by a vassal.

  2. fidelity; faithfulness.

    Synonyms:
    devotion, loyalty
fealty British  
/ ˈfiːəltɪ /

noun

  1. (in feudal society) the loyalty sworn to one's lord on becoming his vassal See homage

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonfealty noun
  • unfealty noun

Etymology

Origin of fealty

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English feute, feaute, fealtye, from Anglo-French, Old French feauté, fealté, from Latin fidēlitāt- (stem of fidēlitās ) fidelity; internal -au-, -al- from feal, reshaping (by substitution of -al- -al 1 ) of fe(d)eil, from Latin fidēlis

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.

He declared unconditional fealty to Tucker Carlson, who he said “always will be a close friend of the Heritage Foundation.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

Is it Gloria Swanson’s Norma Desmond, the obscenely wealthy-but-faded star obsessed with comebacks and raining contempt on anyone who doesn’t approach her with abject fealty and admiration?

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2025

For decades these animals – lions, tigers, pumas, cheetahs and jaguars – have been a sign of power, status and even political fealty in the country.

From BBC • Jul. 22, 2025

Notably, when pressed on fealty to the current state of Israel, he refused to accept anything short of a state “with equal rights for all.”

From Slate • Jun. 25, 2025

"I want Lady Lysa and her son to acclaim Joffrey as king, to swear fealty, and to—" "—make war on the Starks and TVillys?"

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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.