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

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fealty British  

/ ˈfiːəltɪ /

noun

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

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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

This fealty to a handful of characters would continue throughout his career, but the result is that the whole of his output feels dull in comparison to his individual works.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Again, the public should have heard more of this outrageous display of fealty, but it got very little coverage.

From Salon • Dec. 5, 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

No one notices, but for a brief moment, as Aquilla swears her fealty, I catch a glimpse of Elias’s face.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Related Words

• faithfulness
• loyalty