1
: steadfast in affection or allegiance : loyal
a faithful friend
2
: firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty : conscientious
a faithful employee
3
: given with strong assurance : binding
a faithful promise
4
: true to the facts, to a standard, or to an original
a faithful copy
5
obsolete
: full of faith
faithfulness
noun
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
Synonyms
Examples of faithful in a Sentence
Adjective
She has provided the company with many years of faithful service.
He insists that he has always been faithful to his wife.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kenin M. Spivak, National Review, 10 Sep. 2023
This seemingly absurd observation emphasizes the difference between the real and the simulated: if the simulation is faithful to reality, spacetime should warp around the laptop, creating a black hole that swallows everything around it.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2023
Part of that faithful recreation needs to account for acoustics.
—Charlotte Hu, Popular Science, 7 Sep. 2023
If Fields, who went 0-4 in starts against Rodgers, wants to dramatically improve his status with the Bears faithful, a win over Love and Green Bay would go a long way.
—Benjamin Hoffman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Watson’s father was Farragut’s faithful aide-de-camp.
—Longreads, 5 Sep. 2023
By the end of Friday’s first half, with West Aurora staring at a 24-14 deficit to Noble Bulls, more than a few of the Blackhawks’ faithful fans were getting nervous.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2023
His three adult children with wife Charlotte remain active in their churches and dedicated to their Christian faith — thanks to his family’s longtime and dogged determination to raise faithful kids.
—Cathi Douglas, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Aug. 2023
Without them, the dishes aren’t faithful to their origins, their true identity, as Wei explains.
—Eddie Lin, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2023
Sasha Richie, Dallas News, 28 July 2023
This first game in front of the Baylor faithful is pivotal for Shapen to build confidence and find a rhythm with the offense.
—Michael Haag, Dallas News, 31 Aug. 2023
Louisville Favorite son Jeff Brohm has come home to Louisville, and Cardinals’ faithful are expecting even bigger things after the good-but-not-great tenure of Scott Satterfield.
—USA TODAY, 25 Aug. 2023
The good news for the station-wagon faithful is that for 2000, the palette of available two-box nameplates from which to choose broadens by two to 19.
—Frank Markus, Car and Driver, 15 July 2023
Last year the duo toured with Nine Inch Nails, a very august legacy act, and the NIN faithful were largely magnetized.
—M.t. Richards, Chicago Tribune, 18 Apr. 2023
With photographs, videos and text, Mr. Markowitz introduced readers to a street corner where newcomers seek work in construction and food delivery, and the Muslim faithful take up nearly an entire city block during Eid al-Fitr services.
—John Otis, New York Times, 18 June 2023
Opposition from the Southern Cal faithful resulted in the matchup being cancelled in February 2020, a cancellation that cost USC $725,000.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes, 16 July 2023
The move both sparked an outcry among the conservative faithful and helped define the inclusiveness for which the church increasingly has become known.
—Jonathan M. Pitts, Baltimore Sun, 7 July 2023
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Adjective
Its wide-ranging attack includes coercing and partnering with social-media companies, attempting to criminalize political speech, allocating government resources to control speech, and targeting concerned parents and faithful Catholics.
—Kenin M. Spivak, National Review, 10 Sep. 2023
This seemingly absurd observation emphasizes the difference between the real and the simulated: if the simulation is faithful to reality, spacetime should warp around the laptop, creating a black hole that swallows everything around it.
—Christof Koch, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2023
Part of that faithful recreation needs to account for acoustics.
—Charlotte Hu, Popular Science, 7 Sep. 2023
If Fields, who went 0-4 in starts against Rodgers, wants to dramatically improve his status with the Bears faithful, a win over Love and Green Bay would go a long way.
—Benjamin Hoffman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Watson’s father was Farragut’s faithful aide-de-camp.
—Longreads, 5 Sep. 2023
By the end of Friday’s first half, with West Aurora staring at a 24-14 deficit to Noble Bulls, more than a few of the Blackhawks’ faithful fans were getting nervous.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2023
His three adult children with wife Charlotte remain active in their churches and dedicated to their Christian faith — thanks to his family’s longtime and dogged determination to raise faithful kids.
—Cathi Douglas, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Aug. 2023
Without them, the dishes aren’t faithful to their origins, their true identity, as Wei explains.
—Eddie Lin, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2023
Noun
There are diehard women’s game fans, burgeoning followers of the MLS and European faithful who insist powerhouses like Barcelona and Real Madrid are the only ones to watch.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas News, 28 July 2023
This first game in front of the Baylor faithful is pivotal for Shapen to build confidence and find a rhythm with the offense.
—Michael Haag, Dallas News, 31 Aug. 2023
Louisville Favorite son Jeff Brohm has come home to Louisville, and Cardinals’ faithful are expecting even bigger things after the good-but-not-great tenure of Scott Satterfield.
—USA TODAY, 25 Aug. 2023
The good news for the station-wagon faithful is that for 2000, the palette of available two-box nameplates from which to choose broadens by two to 19.
—Frank Markus, Car and Driver, 15 July 2023
Last year the duo toured with Nine Inch Nails, a very august legacy act, and the NIN faithful were largely magnetized.
—M.t. Richards, Chicago Tribune, 18 Apr. 2023
With photographs, videos and text, Mr. Markowitz introduced readers to a street corner where newcomers seek work in construction and food delivery, and the Muslim faithful take up nearly an entire city block during Eid al-Fitr services.
—John Otis, New York Times, 18 June 2023
Opposition from the Southern Cal faithful resulted in the matchup being cancelled in February 2020, a cancellation that cost USC $725,000.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes, 16 July 2023
The move both sparked an outcry among the conservative faithful and helped define the inclusiveness for which the church increasingly has become known.
—Jonathan M. Pitts, Baltimore Sun, 7 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'faithful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English feithful, from feith faith entry 1 + -ful -ful entry 1
Noun
derivative of faithful entry 1
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of faithful was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing faithful
Dictionary Entries Near faithful
Cite this Entry
“Faithful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faithful. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
faithful
1 of 2 adjective
faith·ful
ˈfāth-fəl 
1
: loyal sense 1b
a faithful friend
2
: firm in keeping promises or in fulfilling duties
a faithful worker
3
: true to the facts : accurate
faithful copy
faithfulness
noun
faithful
2 of 2 noun
plural faithful or faithfuls
: one that has faith or is faithful
More from Merriam-Webster on faithful
Nglish: Translation of faithful for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of faithful for Arabic Speakers
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