loyal
Americanadjective
-
faithful to one's sovereign, government, or state.
a loyal subject.
- Synonyms:
- patriotic
- Antonyms:
- treacherous, faithless, disloyal, treasonous, traitorous
-
faithful to one's oath, commitments, or obligations.
to be loyal to a vow.
-
faithful to any leader, party, or cause, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity.
a loyal friend.
-
characterized by or showing faithfulness to commitments, vows, allegiance, obligations, etc..
loyal conduct.
adjective
-
having or showing continuing allegiance
-
faithful to one's country, government, etc
-
of or expressing loyalty
Synonym Usage
See faithful.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of loyal
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French, Old French loial, lei(a)l, from Latin lēgālis legal
Explanation
If you are faithful and devoted to someone or something, you're loyal. If you refuse to buy milk from anyone other than Farmer Jones, then you're a very loyal customer. Someone who is loyal is reliable and always true, like your trusty dog. Loyal comes from the Old French word loial which means something like "legal," but if someone is only loyal to you because the law requires him to be, that's not true loyalty, which should come from the heart, not a contract. A loyal friend supports you all the time, no matter what. You can also be loyal to an idea, like the People's Revolution, or girl-power.
Vocabulary lists containing loyal
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
China, the biggest and most loyal buyer of Iranian oil, pulled back in June, only importing 880,000 barrels a day of Iranian oil, a 38% drop from May, according to ship tracker Vortexa.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026
He is as loyal to the Angels as he is to Millville.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2026
I’ll start over: Greetings to all you Ilya and Shane shippers, fans of “The Madison” and other loyal subjects of snubbed shows and performers who tuned in to Wednesday’s nominations announcement livestream.
From Salon • Jul. 9, 2026
While that's unlikely to deter loyal Le Pen supporters, traditionally conservative voters, whom she so hopes to attract to her ranks, may be put off by the improbity of it all.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
Could he escape Washington, its streets filled with thousands of soldiers and loyal citizens, all there to celebrate the end of the Civil War?
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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.
