loyalty
Americannoun
noun
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the state or quality of being loyal
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(often plural) a feeling of allegiance
Synonym Usage
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of loyalty
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English loialte, from Middle French. See loyal, -ty 2
Explanation
A person who feels loyalty to a nation, cause, or person feels a sense of allegiance, commitment, dedication toward them. Loyalty is — you guessed it! — the quality of being loyal. People demonstrate their loyalty to a sports team by cheering for it, win or lose. People demonstrate their loyalty to a political party by voting only for the people of that party. Brand loyalty is the notion (or hope) that once consumers identify strongly with a particular brand or product, like a car or computer, they'll stick with that brand or maker when it comes time to buy new products.
Vocabulary lists containing loyalty
American Naturalization Test, List 2
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Allegiant
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Medieval Christendom, Lessons 3–5
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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.
See Examples For:
Doing so keeps the Constitution at the center of our popular democratic culture, renewing our loyalty to the document and our sense of its relevance.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Corporate loyalty often clouds financial judgment,” Prince said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
"Younger people have seen that loyalty doesn't pay off," says Kemp.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
What matters is state-led formations that profess loyalty to similar ideas, but are far stronger and more sophisticated than jihadists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
It wasn’t just loyalty that prompted his answer.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
As England progress, possibly to a final, some Scottish football fans are making tricky decisions about where their loyalties lie.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Every significant criminal case eventually becomes a vessel into which the country pours its anxieties, fears, loyalties, and grievances.
From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2026
Leo XIV tossed away the diplomatic tact usually required of popes as he began a state visit to Spain on Saturday, revealing that his footballing loyalties lie with Real Madrid.
From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026
Its clashes—between young prodigies and seasoned grandmasters, diverging national loyalties and opposing personalities—have inspired fiction, films, a popular Netflix series and a current Broadway musical revival.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
About three or four such Hasidic sects populated the area in which Danny and I grew up, each with its own rabbi, its own little synagogue, its own customs, its own fierce loyalties.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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.
