faithful

adjective faith·ful \ ˈfāth-fəl \

Definition of faithful

1 obsolete :full of faith

2 :steadfast in affection or allegiance :loyal

a faithful friend

3 :firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty :conscientious

a faithful employee

4 :given with strong assurance :binding

a faithful promise

5 :true to the facts, to a standard, or to an original

a faithful copy

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faithfully

play \ˈfāth-fə-lē\ adverb

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faithfulness

noun

See faithful defined for English-language learners

See faithful defined for kids

Examples of faithful in a Sentence

She has provided the company with many years of faithful service.
He insists that he has always been faithful to his wife.

Recent Examples of faithful from the Web

A three-goal blitz inside the first 22 minutes gave Liverpool a huge advantage in terms of progressing, before Hoffenheim pulled a goal back just shy of the half hour mark to cause a slight bit of concern among the Anfield faithful.

— SI.com, "Jurgen Klopp Blasts Reds' Contract Rebels After UCL Group Progression: 'WTF, It's Your Job to Do it'," 24 Aug. 2017
But Trump has consistently enjoyed stronger support from his party’s faithful than have Ryan and McConnell.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Blasts GOP Leaders for Creating Debt Ceiling ‘Mess’," 24 Aug. 2017
And after a blundered 3-9 2016 campaign, multiple players leaving the program to play at other schools and other off the field issues, even the most faithful Michigan State fans have some doubts about what the 2017 Spartans will bring to the table.

— casey harrison, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State football: Fans, players, coaches interact at Meet the Spartans," 23 Aug. 2017
Thank you Dan and Steve—and to all of you faithful Brainstorm Health Daily readers—for your great contributions to this newsletter community.

— Fortune, "Brainstorm Health Daily: July 31, 2017," 31 July 2017
Muslim clerics have been urging the faithful to skip prayers in neighborhood mosques on Friday and converge on the shrine, in an attempt to draw larger crowds.

— aron heller, The Christian Science Monitor, "Heightened security measures fuel tensions at shared Jerusalem holy site," 20 July 2017
In addition to her faithful friend and adviser Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel), Daenerys has just officially appointed Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) her Hand of the Queen.

— tracy brown, latimes.com, "Where were we? Catching up with 'Game of Thrones'," 15 July 2017
While the overall design was faithful to Mies' original plan, the corridor obscured the main facade of the house — in effect, camouflaging one of the most prized objects in the museum's collection.

— blair kamin, chicagotribune.com, "McCormick House project aims to restore Mies gem," 27 June 2017
The researchers even found evidence of these human-loving cats at the Viking port of Ralswiek on the Baltic Sea, says Geigl, and the Iranian port of Siraf, confirming that the faithful mousers commonly joined sailing crews.

— maya wei-haas, Smithsonian, "How Cats Conquered the World," 20 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'faithful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of faithful

see ¹faith

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

faithful Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of faithful

faithful, loyal, constant, staunch, steadfast, resolute mean firm in adherence to whatever one owes allegiance. faithful implies unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted.

- faithful to her promise

loyal implies a firm resistance to any temptation to desert or betray.

- remained loyal to the czar

constant stresses continuing firmness of emotional attachment without necessarily implying strict obedience to promises or vows.

- constant friends

staunch suggests fortitude and resolution in adherence and imperviousness to influences that would weaken it.

- a staunch defender of free speech

steadfast implies a steady and unwavering course in love, allegiance, or conviction.

- steadfast in their support

resolute implies firm determination to adhere to a cause or purpose.

- a resolute ally

faithful

noun

Definition of faithful

1 plural in construction

a :church members in full communion and good standing —used with the

b :the body of believers in Islam —used with the

2 plural faithful or faithfuls :one who is faithful; especially :a loyal follower, member, or fan

party faithfuls

Recent Examples of faithful from the Web

In terms of appeal beyond the faithful, this edition of this great even thudded like a ball against a wall.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: When should winning matter for Reds?," 21 Aug. 2017
Following an impressive performance on his Premier League debut, the Chelsea faithful have seemingly warmed to the prostect of new man Morata leading the line for them this season.

— SI.com, "Wantaway Diego Costa Fined a Massive £300k by Chelsea for Snubbing Pre-Season Training," 14 Aug. 2017
And while its most recent purge saw the removal of semi-newish faces like former chief of staff Reince Priebus and press secretary Sean Spicer, even the old faithful may not be immune.

— emma stefansky, The Hive, "Report: Donald Trump Suspects Chief Strategist Steve Bannon of Leaking to the Press," 13 Aug. 2017
One popular theory is that the R’hllor faithful will show up on the shores of Westeros in Season 8, just in time to help sway the battle between the Night King and the realm of men.

— joanna robinson, vanityfair.com, "Game of Thrones: Explaining Melisandre’s Mysterious Goodbye," 31 July 2017
One popular theory is that the R’hllor faithful will show up on the shores of Westeros in Season 8, just in time to help sway the battle between the Night King and the realm of men.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Game of Thrones: Explaining Melisandre’s Mysterious Goodbye," 31 July 2017
Pfeiffer starred as Catwoman in 1992's Batman Returns, while Fishburne is revered among the geek faithful for his work as Morpheus in The Matrix trilogy.

— aaron couch, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Ant-Man and the Wasp' Casts Michelle Pfeiffer and Laurence Fishburne," 22 July 2017
There are the racing faithful at Del Mar who are hoping for a safer summer season in 2017 for horses and jockeys compared to a year ago.

— tod leonard, latimes.com, "It's a replay for winners as Del Mar enjoys a safe opening day," 19 July 2017
Nor is there any suggestion that the Board has or would bar any commissioner from offering a prayer faithful to the commissioner’s own traditions, regardless of his or her faith.

— bill mears, Fox News, "Federal court: NC commissioners' prayer practice violates U.S. Constitution," 14 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of faithful

see ¹faith

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

FAITHFUL Defined for English Language Learners

faithful

adjective

Definition of faithful for English Language Learners

: having or showing true and constant support or loyalty
: deserving trust : keeping your promises or doing what you are supposed to do
: not having sex with someone who is not your wife, husband, girlfriend, or boyfriend

FAITHFUL Defined for Kids

faithful

adjective faith·ful \ ˈfāth-fəl \

Definition of faithful for Students

1 :firm in devotion or support

a faithful friend

2 :reliable

a faithful worker

3 :true to the facts :accurate

The model was a faithful copy of my grandfather's car.

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faithfully

\-fə-lē\ adverb

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faithfulness

noun

Synonym Discussion of faithful

faithful, loyal, and true mean firm in devotion to something. faithful is used of someone who has a firm and constant devotion to something to which he or she is united by or as if by a promise or pledge.