fealty

noun

fe·al·ty ˈfē(-ə)l-tē How to pronounce fealty (audio)

plural fealties

: the fidelity of a vassal or feudal tenant to his lord

: the obligation of such fidelity

The vassal vowed fealty to the king.

: intense fidelity

the fealty of country music fans to their favorite stars

Nicholas Dawidoff

Did you know?

In The Use of Law, published posthumously in 1629, Francis Bacon wrote, "Fealty is to take an oath upon a book, that he will be a faithful Tenant to the King." That's a pretty accurate summary of the early meaning of fealty. Early forms of the term were used in Middle English around 1300, when they specifically designated the loyalty of a vassal to a lord. Eventually, the meaning of the word broadened. Fealty can be paid to a country, a principle, or a leader of any kind—though the synonyms fidelity and loyalty are more commonly used. Fealty comes from the Anglo-French word feelté, or fealté, which comes from the Latin fidelitas, meaning "fidelity." These words are ultimately derived from fides, the Latin word for "faith."

Example Sentences

He swore fealty to the king. as much as I wanted to back my friend up, my fealty to the truth was greater, and I could not lie for him

Recent Examples on the Web The episode ends with Daemon departing on his dragon, Caraxes, as the lords of the realm pledge their fealty to Rhaenyra.

Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2022 Frankfurter, who had no children of his own, hazed and doted on these protégés in equal measure, and in the process inspired a lifetime of fealty.

Justin Driver, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2022 Such people expected political fealty, not religious faith.

Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2021 Carax conceptualizes the miracle of birth, pondering this generation’s relation to procreation, parenthood, fealty, obligation, loyalty, love, and the future.

Armond White, National Review, 13 Aug. 2021 For Republican voters in Arizona, the extent to which the candidates for attorney general show fealty to Trump could decide the race.

Tara Kavaler, The Arizona Republic, 11 May 2022 Such data, which reflects a year of lies by Trump and conservative media, helps explain why the House GOP especially has anchored its hopes of capturing a majority in the midterm elections on fealty to the insurrectionist ex-President.

Stephen Collinson, CNN, 3 Jan. 2022 Boosted by Donald Trump’s endorsement, Masters is gobbling up most of the attention in a primary defined above all else by fealty to the former president.

Jonathan J. Cooper, ajc, 30 July 2022 Pledging fealty to the Chinese Communist Party would have been highly unusual not too long ago when Hong Kong still boasted opposition lawmakers, a vibrant independent media and a stable of human rights lawyers.

Hsiuwen Liu, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2022 See More

fealty

noun

as in allegiance

adherence to something to which one is bound by a pledge or duty as much as I wanted to back my friend up, my fealty to the truth was greater, and I could not lie for him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

allegiance
loyalty
commitment
dedication
devotion
fidelity
faithfulness
steadfastness
piety
troth
attachment
adhesion
constancy
devotedness
faith
affection
fastness
fondness
dependability
reliability
determination
resolution
trustworthiness
firmness
trustiness
trustability

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

disloyalty
treachery
perfidy
faithlessness
falsity
falseness
inconstancy
unfaithfulness
infidelity
alienation
perfidiousness
disaffection
separation
estrangement

Synonym Chooser

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

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

pledging allegiance

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

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

marital fidelity

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

The synonyms piety and fealty are sometimes interchangeable, but piety stresses fidelity to obligations regarded as natural and fundamental.

filial piety

单词	fealty
释义	fealty noun fe·al·ty ˈfē(-ə)l-tē plural fealties 1 a : the fidelity of a vassal or feudal tenant to his lord b : the obligation of such fidelity The vassal vowed fealty to the king. 2 : intense fidelity the fealty of country music fans to their favorite stars Nicholas Dawidoff Did you know? In The Use of Law, published posthumously in 1629, Francis Bacon wrote, "Fealty is to take an oath upon a book, that he will be a faithful Tenant to the King." That's a pretty accurate summary of the early meaning of fealty. Early forms of the term were used in Middle English around 1300, when they specifically designated the loyalty of a vassal to a lord. Eventually, the meaning of the word broadened. Fealty can be paid to a country, a principle, or a leader of any kind—though the synonyms fidelity and loyalty are more commonly used. Fealty comes from the Anglo-French word feelté, or fealté, which comes from the Latin fidelitas, meaning "fidelity." These words are ultimately derived from fides, the Latin word for "faith." Synonyms adhesion allegiance attachment commitment constancy dedication devotedness devotion faith faithfulness fastness fidelity loyalty piety steadfastness troth See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences He swore fealty to the king. as much as I wanted to back my friend up, my fealty to the truth was greater, and I could not lie for him Recent Examples on the Web The episode ends with Daemon departing on his dragon, Caraxes, as the lords of the realm pledge their fealty to Rhaenyra. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2022 Frankfurter, who had no children of his own, hazed and doted on these protégés in equal measure, and in the process inspired a lifetime of fealty. Justin Driver, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2022 Such people expected political fealty, not religious faith. Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2021 Carax conceptualizes the miracle of birth, pondering this generation’s relation to procreation, parenthood, fealty, obligation, loyalty, love, and the future. Armond White, National Review, 13 Aug. 2021 For Republican voters in Arizona, the extent to which the candidates for attorney general show fealty to Trump could decide the race. Tara Kavaler, The Arizona Republic, 11 May 2022 Such data, which reflects a year of lies by Trump and conservative media, helps explain why the House GOP especially has anchored its hopes of capturing a majority in the midterm elections on fealty to the insurrectionist ex-President. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 3 Jan. 2022 Boosted by Donald Trump’s endorsement, Masters is gobbling up most of the attention in a primary defined above all else by fealty to the former president. Jonathan J. Cooper, ajc, 30 July 2022 Pledging fealty to the Chinese Communist Party would have been highly unusual not too long ago when Hong Kong still boasted opposition lawmakers, a vibrant independent media and a stable of human rights lawyers. Hsiuwen Liu, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English feute, fealtye, borrowed from Anglo-French feelté, fealté, going back to Latin fidēlitāt-, fidēlitās "faithfulness, loyalty" — more at fidelity First Known Use 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a fealty noun as in allegiance adherence to something to which one is bound by a pledge or duty as much as I wanted to back my friend up, my fealty to the truth was greater, and I could not lie for him Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance allegiance loyalty commitment dedication devotion fidelity faithfulness steadfastness piety troth attachment adhesion constancy devotedness faith affection fastness fondness dependability reliability determination resolution trustworthiness firmness trustiness trustability Antonyms & Near Antonyms disloyalty treachery perfidy faithlessness falsity falseness inconstancy unfaithfulness infidelity alienation perfidiousness disaffection separation estrangement See More Synonym Chooser 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 While the synonyms allegiance and fealty are close in meaning, allegiance suggests an adherence like that of citizens to their country. pledging allegiance 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 While in some cases nearly identical to fealty, fidelity implies strict and continuing faithfulness to an obligation, trust, or duty. marital fidelity 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 The synonyms piety and fealty are sometimes interchangeable, but piety stresses fidelity to obligations regarded as natural and fundamental. filial piety
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fealty

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

noun

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