Synonym Chooser

How is the word allegiance distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of allegiance are devotion, fealty, fidelity, loyalty, and piety. While all these words mean "faithfulness to something to which one is bound by pledge or duty," allegiance suggests an adherence like that of citizens to their country.

pledging allegiance

When might devotion be a better fit than allegiance?

While the synonyms devotion and allegiance are close in meaning, devotion stresses zeal and service amounting to self-dedication.

a painter's devotion to her art

When would fealty be a good substitute for allegiance?

Although the words fealty and allegiance have much in common, fealty implies a fidelity acknowledged by the individual and as compelling as a sworn vow.

fealty to the truth

When could fidelity be used to replace allegiance?

The words fidelity and allegiance can be used in similar contexts, but fidelity implies strict and continuing faithfulness to an obligation, trust, or duty.

marital fidelity

In what contexts can loyalty take the place of allegiance?

The words loyalty and allegiance are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, loyalty implies a faithfulness that is steadfast in the face of any temptation to renounce, desert, or betray.

valued the loyalty of his friends

When can piety be used instead of allegiance?

The meanings of piety and allegiance largely overlap; however, piety stresses fidelity to obligations regarded as natural and fundamental.

filial piety

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of allegiance The task now is to let the experience earn our allegiance. Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025 While there’s no love triangle, The Long Walk treats its allegiances and enmities with a grandeur that rivals any romance, especially the connection between its hero, Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), and his friend Peter McVries (David Jonsson). Alison Willmore, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025 Elsewhere a group of white residents hold up banners declaring their — and Algeria’s — allegiance to France. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025 Cocktail stirrers are quite easy to find in various allegiances, from Dawgs to Eagles, online. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for allegiance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for allegiance
Noun
  • The emotional record, shared alongside a video and lyrics posted to Instagram, hears Thugger addressing infidelity, loyalty, fractured friendships, while taking full accountability for his mistakes.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • All Vera Wang Bride purchases will qualify for David’s Diamond Loyalty Program, the industry’s first and only bridal loyalty rewards program.
    Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Traditional approaches focus on financial engineering such as negotiating discounts for long-term commitments, or on observability tools that track who is running what.
    Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Microsoft has subsequently also offered to make further commitments to resolve its competition concerns after the European Commission market-tested the firm's initial pledges.
    Ryan Browne, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Because of his dedication to the center, Marshall became its namesake in 2023.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Yet, Aramayo’s sensitive portrayal of the man and Jones’ unflinching dedication to showing some of Davidson’s most painful moments, the ones that pushed him into action, add up to an insightful biopic that chronicles a very worthy subject.
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • During Saturday night’s show, Gillis kept celebrating his Irish devotion.
    Pete Sampson, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The Ganges has been a center of trade and devotion for centuries, the Brahmaputra feeds tea estates and wildlife-rich floodplains, and Kerala’s canals knit together fishing towns and rice paddies.
    Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • My own experience has taught me that fidelity, forgiveness, and faithfulness within families yield deep, enduring peace.
    Russell M. Nelson, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
  • To write one’s way out of the incapacitating dependence of daughterhood into autonomy means shedding the unquestioning fidelity of a child.
    Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Allegiance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/allegiance. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on allegiance

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