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 in the early 14th century, 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 noun fidēlitās, meaning “fidelity.” These words come ultimately from fidēs, the Latin word for “faith.”

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for fealty

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 fealty in a Sentence

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 race was dominated by two issues: a proposal to build an airport on 6,700 acres of state trust land on the outskirts of the city, and fealty to the champion of that idea, Mayor Jason Beck. —Sean Holstege, The Arizona Republic, 30 July 2024

During his remarks, which lasted around 40 minutes, Clinton said if elected again, Trump would only select cabinet members who demonstrated fealty to him. —Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 30 Oct. 2024

Republican leaders, confronted with the unravelling of their own nominee, have only reaffirmed their fealty. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024

And what room is left in the Republican Party for someone pledging less than 100% fealty to Trump and rejecting his orthodoxy on issues such as green energy and election denial? —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2024

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

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Kids Definition

fealty

noun

fe·​al·​ty ˈfē(-ə)l-tē 

plural fealties

: loyalty, allegiance