fidelity

noun fi·del·i·ty \ fə-ˈde-lə-tē , fī- \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: fidelity in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Have a Little Faith in fidelity

Definition of fidelity

plural fidelities

1 a : the quality or state of being faithful

his fidelity to his wife

b : accuracy in details : exactness

The movie's director insisted on total fidelity to the book.

2 : the degree to which an electronic device (such as a record player, radio, or television) accurately reproduces its effect (such as sound or picture)

See fidelity defined for English-language learners

See fidelity defined for kids

fidelity was our Word of the Day on 06/30/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of fidelity in a Sentence

Yet as Reardon emphasizes early on, fidelity to facts was never the point. The same dinner with friends could appear over and over in Fisher's published work, rejiggered each time to make a different point. —Laura Shapiro, New York Times Book Review, 12 Dec. 2004
It is a world familiar to all children, and it is this fidelity to child life that gives resonance to Hoffmann's tale and makes it an extraordinary work of art. —Maurice Sendak, Caldecott & Co., 1988
Chaucer's patient Griselda proved her fidelity to her husband by resisting the prodigious reasons he gave her for being unfaithful. —B. F. Skinner, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, 1971
music with much higher fidelity than on cassettes
they have never wavered in their fidelity to the cause of freedom

Recent Examples of fidelity from the Web

Everyone understands the importance of building patiently through the draft, but there's a point at which fidelity to that model becomes a disadvantage.

— andrew sharp, SI.com, "Trusting the Lakers' Process in NBA Free Agency," 26 June 2018
After listening to the recording, some acoustic experts say Van Praag misidentified some sound impulses as gun shots and that only seven or eight shots could be heard on the low-fidelity tape.

— tom jackman, Washington Post, "The Bobby Kennedy assassination tape: Were 13 shots fired or only 8?," 6 June 2018
Muresanu plays each work with fidelity to its distinctive character.

— david weininger, BostonGlobe.com, "From Philip Glass to folk-inspired violin, sounds for the summer," 4 July 2018
These sorts of artificial dreamscapes have long fascinated pop culture, which often envisions that high-fidelity VR will be used for fun—and more sinister forms of diversion.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Westworld’s Virtual Afterlife Might Not Be Fiction," 27 June 2018
Billboard also reported June 6 that the industry at large is happy to indulge Tidal, encouraged by its $19.99/month hi-fidelity tier that can become a growth opportunity once regular streaming subscriptions reach saturation.

— dan rys, Billboard, "Tidal Makes Huge App Store Jump In Downloads, Revenue After The Carters' 'Everything Is Love' Release," 20 June 2018
From that screen's mercury glow, the operator can map out points to calculate the gun's geometry with microscopic fidelity.

— adam fisher, WIRED, "A Landmark Legal Shift Opens Pandora’s Box for DIY Guns," 10 July 2018
But there have been sacrifices of traditional virtues south of the border as well as north—religious fidelity, the nobility of poverty, adherence to ritual.

— felipe fernández-armesto, WSJ, "‘Vanishing Frontiers’ Review: The Ties That Bind," 25 June 2018
Patten’s Jo, who’s romantically involved with the daughter in the family, tackles questions of gender identity, fidelity, family, and friendship.

— meredith goldstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Lauren Patten is a showstopper you oughta get to know," 14 June 2018

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

Have a Little Faith in fidelity

You can have faith in "fidelity," which has existed in English since the 15th century; its etymological path winds back through Middle English and Middle French, eventually arriving at the Latin verb fidere, meaning "to trust." "Fidere" is also an ancestor of other English words associated with trust or faith, such as "fiduciary" (which means "of, relating to, or involving a confidence or trust" and is often used in the context of a monetary trust) and "confide" (meaning "to trust" or "to show trust by imparting secrets"). Nowadays "fidelity" is often used in reference to recording and broadcast devices, conveying the idea that a broadcast or recording is "faithful" to the live sound or picture that it reproduces.

Origin and Etymology of fidelity

Middle English fidelite, borrowed from Middle French fidelité, borrowed from Latin fidēlitāt-, fidēlitās, from fidēlis "faithful, loyal, trustworthy" (from fidē-, stem of fidēs "trust, belief, faith" +-lis, denominal suffix of appurtenance) + -itāt-, -itās -ity

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

fidelity Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of fidelity

fidelity, allegiance, fealty, loyalty, devotion, piety mean faithfulness to something to which one is bound by pledge or duty. fidelity implies strict and continuing faithfulness to an obligation, trust, or duty.

- marital fidelity

allegiance suggests an adherence like that of citizens to their country.

- pledging allegiance

fealty implies a fidelity acknowledged by the individual and as compelling as a sworn vow.

- fealty to the truth

loyalty implies a faithfulness that is steadfast in the face of any temptation to renounce, desert, or betray.

- valued the loyalty of his friends

devotion stresses zeal and service amounting to self-dedication.

- a painter's devotion to her art

piety stresses fidelity to obligations regarded as natural and fundamental.

- filial piety

Other Audio Recording Terms

baffle, dub, transcription, treble

FIDELITY Defined for English Language Learners

fidelity

noun

Definition of fidelity for English Language Learners

: the quality of being faithful to your husband, wife, or sexual partner
: the quality of being faithful or loyal to a country, organization, etc.
: the degree to which something matches or copies something else

FIDELITY Defined for Kids

fidelity

noun fi·del·i·ty \ fə-ˈde-lə-tē , fī- \

Definition of fidelity for Students

1 : loyalty

They swore fidelity to the king.

2 : accuracy

I described the scene with fidelity.

Word Root of fidelity

The Latin word fidēs, meaning “faith,” gives us the root fid. Words from the Latin fidēs have something to with being faithful. Fidelity is faith or loyalty. To confide in someone is to show trust in the person by telling her or him a secret. Someone who is confident has faith that he or she will do something correctly and successfully.

Law Dictionary

fidelity

noun fi·del·i·ty \ fə-ˈde-lə-tē, fī- \

legal Definition of fidelity

: the quality or state of being faithful or loyal; especially : loyalty to one's spouse in refraining from adultery and sometimes in submitting to a spouse's reasonable sexual desires