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 Then Farage’s Mar-a-Lago mate swept to victory in America (Farage will surely be first line for a Trump interview when the president comes to town) and now, with Reform surging in the polls, Elon Musk has sworn fealty to his cause. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 24 Dec. 2024 Still, Trump’s demands are worth addressing as a way of making a case for a stable dollar such that Trump would never feel the need to demand such greenback fealty in the first place. John Tamny, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024 What’s worse, looking ahead, is that Trump reportedly is making fealty to his election lies a job requirement for appointees to high-level administration posts. Jackie Calmes, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024 Blink Twice nods at a tangle of different contemporary ailments: lifestyle fetishism, wellness hedonism, our obscene fealty to stolid tech bros and their untrammeled wealth. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fealty 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fealty
Noun
  • The Catholic Church challenges its faithful to transcend partisan allegiances and live out a radical, sacrificial faith.
    Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
  • One sheet of paper is peppered with pledges of allegiance to North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and of victory in battle.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The app will offer opportunities to order espressos to-go and customers can receive loyalty points for each purchase at both wineries.
    Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
  • Lawmakers have also sounded the alarm about Patel’s loyalty to Trump.
    Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • This commitment is far too robust to be derailed by the absence of any single participant.
    Thais Lopez Vogel, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2025
  • Trinity’s engagements with Hartford, and its inextricable co-dependencies, are not without flaws, but community commitments and points of progress abound.
    Garth Andrew Myers, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • His motto, ‘Dream, Rise, Ignite,’ has become my guiding force, and the mission to complete this cinematic journey has been my dedication ever since.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
  • Booker was charged with lying to police, per Gajewski. Elkins, who operated a hairstyling business in her home, is known for her dedication to her 7-year-old and 10-year-old sons.
    Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • These are people who have grown up together, loved and lost together, and, most importantly, people who carry a deep devotion to this land and those who occupy it.
    Emma Marie Jenkinson, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2025
  • American society lacks devotion to the industrial complex.
    Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • According to Nvidia, this uses twice as many parameters and four times the computer power to create images with higher overall image fidelity.
    Michael Justin Allen Sexton, PCMAG, 15 Jan. 2025
  • The purpose is to create rich bass while also offering fidelity to the artist’s original intention, the company says, without .
    David Phelan, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fealty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fealty. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

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