Definition of fealtynext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fealty distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of fealty are allegiance, devotion, fidelity, loyalty, and piety. While all these words mean "faithfulness to something to which one is bound by pledge or duty," fealty implies a fidelity acknowledged by the individual and as compelling as a sworn vow.

fealty to the truth

Where would allegiance be a reasonable alternative to fealty?

While the synonyms allegiance and fealty are close in meaning, allegiance suggests an adherence like that of citizens to their country.

pledging allegiance

In what contexts can devotion take the place of fealty?

The meanings of devotion and fealty largely overlap; however, devotion stresses zeal and service amounting to self-dedication.

a painter's devotion to her art

When could fidelity be used to replace fealty?

While in some cases nearly identical to fealty, fidelity implies strict and continuing faithfulness to an obligation, trust, or duty.

marital fidelity

When would loyalty be a good substitute for fealty?

The words loyalty and fealty 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 might piety be a better fit than fealty?

The synonyms piety and fealty are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 fealty This blatant expression of fealty over objectivity perverts the process by choosing personal loyalists instead of independent public servants. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026 Rhaenyra’s men come later that night and demand Aegon and Tyland declare their fealty. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026 Then there is one overriding factor in the current political climate — a GOP that pays fealty to a president with little support among residents in the state’s most populous counties. — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026 After falsely bending the knee to Daemon (Matt Smith), pretending to swear fealty to Rhaenyra, and handing over a decoy Daeron, Ormund decamped with his army to the unfortified market town of Tumbleton. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for fealty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fealty
Noun
  • Yet the political alternatives that once dominated the region have lost their capacity to command popular allegiance.
    — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Countries including Nauru, Honduras and Nicaragua have switched allegiances from Taiwan to Beijing in recent years.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs.
    — Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Sara follows sign and clue, tests loyalties and refuses to look away until the dead are heard and justice is within reach.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • More than 70 companies have also signed on to contribute to employees’ children’s accounts, the White House said, following early commitments from firms like JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America.
    — Fernanda Tronco, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Today, many more American women are choosing Lee Krasner’s lifestyle and her commitments; but to pioneer took a special kind of courage.
    — Barbara Rose, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In that span, the prevailing public narrative about Simmons shifted radically — from a guy zealously dedicated to rehabbing and the game itself to questions about his desire and dedication.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
  • But instead of denouncing the class of managers and industrialists who profited from the paint factories, the doctors blamed the workers for their poor condition, citing their dedication to their jobs as its primary cause.
    — Wendy S. Walters, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The new version centers on Dalin, a single mother who designs bridal gowns and whose devotion to her job has opened a gap between her and her 10-year-old daughter Mina.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Like Wilde, Basil possesses an idealistic devotion to beauty and love that proves his undoing.
    — Hannah Aizenman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The company also uses a digital thread of the helicopter’s operational flight program to develop high-fidelity simulations in days rather than years, allowing training systems to keep pace with aircraft modernization.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
  • And according to showrunner Brad Caleb Kane, there are reasons beyond franchise fidelity for setting the show in the ’70s.
    — Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Fealty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fealty. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on fealty

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster