faithful

1 of 2

adjective

faith·​ful ˈfāth-fəl How to pronounce faithful (audio)
1
: steadfast in affection or allegiance : loyal
a faithful friend
2
: firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty : conscientious
a faithful employee
3
: given with strong assurance : binding
a faithful promise
4
: true to the facts, to a standard, or to an original
a faithful copy
5
obsolete : full of faith
faithfully adverb
faithfulness noun

faithful

2 of 2

noun

1
plural in construction
a
: church members in full communion and good standing
used with the
b
: the body of believers in Islam
used with the
2
plural faithful or faithfuls : one who is faithful
especially : a loyal follower, member, or fan
party faithfuls
Choose the Right Synonym for faithful

faithful, loyal, constant, staunch, steadfast, resolute mean firm in adherence to whatever one owes allegiance.

faithful implies unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by which a tie was contracted.

faithful to her promise

loyal implies a firm resistance to any temptation to desert or betray.

remained loyal to the czar

constant stresses continuing firmness of emotional attachment without necessarily implying strict obedience to promises or vows.

constant friends

staunch suggests fortitude and resolution in adherence and imperviousness to influences that would weaken it.

a staunch defender of free speech

steadfast implies a steady and unwavering course in love, allegiance, or conviction.

steadfast in their support

resolute implies firm determination to adhere to a cause or purpose.

a resolute ally

Examples of faithful in a Sentence

Adjective She has provided the company with many years of faithful service. He insists that he has always been faithful to his wife.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Farrell’s scrappy, working-class Penguin is a big departure from the comics, but certain character traits are faithful to the character’s origins. Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 Meanwhile, the Lomography community has remained a faithful one, and has uploaded more than 17 million of their snaps to the official website's image hub. New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2024
Noun
Those two indelible moments have caused the Dodger faithful to relentlessly boo Machado every time he is announced at Chavez Ravine over the past six years. Dan Freedman, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 This was done prior to the former president taking the stage and whipping his faithful into a frenzy, because of air traffic restrictions. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for faithful 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'faithful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English feithful, from feith faith entry 1 + -ful -ful entry 1

Noun

derivative of faithful entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of faithful was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near faithful

Cite this Entry

“Faithful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faithful. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

faithful

1 of 2 adjective
faith·​ful ˈfāth-fəl How to pronounce faithful (audio)
1
: loyal sense 1b
a faithful friend
2
: firm in keeping promises or in fulfilling duties
a faithful worker
3
: true to the facts : accurate
faithful copy
faithfully adverb
faithfulness noun

faithful

2 of 2 noun
plural faithful or faithfuls
: one that has faith or is faithful

More from Merriam-Webster on faithful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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