loyalty

[loi-uhl-tee]

noun

plural

loyalties 

1. the state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations.

2. faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader, cause, etc.

   Synonyms: constancy, devotion, fealty

3. an example or instance of faithfulness, adherence, or the like.

   a man with fierce loyalties.

loyalty

/ ˈlɔɪəltɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being loyal

2. (often plural) a feeling of allegiance

Other Word Forms

• nonloyalty noun
• overloyalty noun
• unloyalty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of loyalty¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English loialte, from Middle French. See loyal, -ty ²

Synonym Study

Loyalty, allegiance, fidelity all imply a sense of duty or of devoted attachment to something or someone. Loyalty connotes sentiment and the feeling of devotion that one holds for one's country, creed, family, friends, etc. Allegiance applies particularly to a citizen's duty to their country, or, by extension, one's obligation to support a party, cause, leader, etc. Fidelity implies unwavering devotion and allegiance to a person, principle, etc

Example Sentences

Here’s a story from 2022 showing Port’s loyalty to San Juan Hills and wanting to prove you can be successful anywhere.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I fell in love with the Jets in 1969, so it’s loyalty,” he says.

Read more on Barron's

“I fell in love with the Jets in 1969, so it’s loyalty,” he says.

Read more on Barron's

In 1776 the 13 states, not the entity called the United States, commanded people’s loyalties.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She was trapped in a country not her own and hounded by police who were suspicious of her loyalty because she refused to renounce her American citizenship.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adherence 
• allegiance 
• devotion 
• faith 
• fealty 
• fidelity 
• honesty 
• honor 
• integrity 
• obedience 
• patriotism 
• reliability 
• sincerity 
• support 
• tie 
• trustworthiness