loyalty

noun

loy·​al·​ty ˈlȯi(-ə)l-tē 

plural loyalties

: the quality or state or an instance of being loyal

the loyalty of the team's fans

Synonyms

• adhesion
• allegiance
• attachment
• commitment
• constancy
• dedication
• devotedness
• devotion
• faith
• faithfulness
• fastness
• fealty
• fidelity
• piety
• steadfastness
• troth

Choose the Right Synonym for loyalty

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

Examples of loyalty in a Sentence

the loyalty of the team's fans

there was no denying that dog's loyalty to his master

Recent Examples on the Web

Since joining the oneworld Alliance in 2013, Qatar has offered codeshare and loyalty integration with 13 major carriers. —Judy Koutsky, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025

Americans saw the corrosive effects of this problem writ large as the Big Lie about the 2020 election spread and became a test of loyalty among many families, friends, and colleagues. —MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025

At the nucleus of their brotherhood were love, loyalty, and the zeal to expand their drug trafficking enterprise. —Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 13 June 2025

Gamble’s esprit de corps foreshadows Moonrise Kingdom’s Khaki Scouts; his loyalty work ethic would later be found in Grand Budapest’s Zero; and his guilelessness is reflected in Chaz Tenenbaum’s twin sons. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English leawte, lewte, from Anglo-French lealté, leauté, from leal, leial loyal

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing loyalty

• divided loyalty

Rhymes for loyalty

• royalty
• disloyalty
• viceroyalty

Kids Definition

loyalty

noun

loy·​al·​ty ˈlȯi(-ə)l-tē 

plural loyalties

: the quality or state of being loyal