fidelity

fi·del·i·ty
F4I1D2E1L1I1T1Y4
UK/fɪˈdɛlɪti/US/fɪˈdɛləti/US/faɪ-/US[-ɾi]

noun

Often followed by to or towards: faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one's civic or moral duties, etc.; allegiance; (countable) an instance of this.

“Near-synonym: faith”

Similar
faithfaithfulness
Opposite
infidelityirreligionnullifidianism
OriginMiddle English fidelite ← Old French fidélité ← Latin fidēlitās →
CommonScrabble 15
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Meanings

nounfidelity (countable and uncountable, plural fidelities)

plural fidelities

  1. uncountableOften followed by to or towards: faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one's civic or moral duties, etc.; allegiance; (countable) an instance of this.

    the fidelity of the civil servants to their country

    2 more examples

    [T]hey ſerve thoſe that hire them, both vvith much courage and great Fidelity; but vvill not engage to ſerve for any determin'd time, and agree upon ſuch Terms, that the next day they may go over to the Enemies of thoſe vvhom they ſerve, if they offer them a greater pay: […]

    1684, Thomas More, “Of Their Military Discipline”, in [Gilbert Burnet], transl., Utopia: […], London: […] Richard Chiswell […], →OCLC, 2nd book, page 163

    In the ordinary intercourse of life, fidelity to engagements is a virtue: why? because in the ordinary intercourse of life, among the engagements taken there is not one in a thousand, the execution of which is not beneficial to the community upon the whole.

    1802 December 17 (date written), Jeremy Bentham, “Panopticon versus New South Wales. Chapter VIII. Remedies Unavailing—Temporal.”, in John Bowring, editor, The Works of Jeremy Bentham, […], volume IV, Edinburgh: William Tait, […]; London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co., published 1843, →OCLC, page 225, column 2

    Antonyms: infidelity

    1. countableuncountableFaithfulness or loyalty to one's partner or spouse, including restraint from romantic or sexual relationships with third parties.

      In vvhat other houſe, public or private, can equal ſecurity be found for the fidelity of the married, for the chaſtity of the ſingle, and for the extinction of drunkenneſs, that murderous infatuation, in compariſon of vvhich every thing elſe that goes by the name of vice is virtue?

      1791, Jeremy Bentham, “§ 16. Provision for Liberated Prisoners.”, in Panopticon: Postscript; Part II: Containing a Plan of Management for a Panopticon Penitentiary-house, London: […] T[homas] Payne, […], →OCLC, pages 222–223

      Antonyms: infidelity, infidelity

    2. archaiccountableuncountableFaithfulness to God and one's religion.

      Near-synonym: faith

      1 more example

      Wake up from thy rest, thine abode is in Manu. / Let me be entrusted to the fidelity which is yielded to Osiris. / Come, O Râ, Tmu [Atum], be thou adored. Do thy will daily. Grant success in presence of the cycle of the mighty gods.

      1892, P[eter] le Page Renouf, “Book of the Dead [Chapter XV. Hymn II. (13)]”, in Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archæology, volume XIV (22nd Session), London: […] [Harrison and Sons for the Society of Biblical Archaeology], →OCLC, page 356

      Synonyms: faith · Antonyms: infidelity, infidelity, irreligion, nullifidianism

  2. broadlycountableuncountableAccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality; exactness.

    Some of the photographs and drawings, […] were first reproduced by Mr. Cooper on wood by means of photography, and then engraved: by this means almost complete fidelity is ensured.

    1872, Charles Darwin, “Introduction”, in The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 26
    1 more example

    [Samuel Taylor] Coleridge and [Johann Wolfgang von] Goethe are the only critics who have expressed our convictions with any adequate fidelity: but there is in all cultivated minds a silent appreciation of his [Shakespeare's] superlative power and beauty, which, like Christianity, qualifies the period.

    1850, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Shakspeare; or, The Poet”, in Representative Men: Seven Lectures, Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson and Company, […], →OCLC, page 201

    Antonyms: infidelity

  3. broadlycountableuncountablebiologyThe closeness of association between an organism and a plant community.
  4. broadlycountableuncountableengineeringChiefly in high fidelity, low fidelity, etc.: the degree to which a system accurately reproduces an input such as an image or sound.

    By placing them closer to the source, we can reduce the number of messages in the system and this in turn is likely to improve the fidelity of the system.

    2003, Proceedings of the Twenty-ninth International Conference on Very Large Databases, Berlin, Germany, 9-12 September, 2003, page 58
    1 more example

    The isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase has a proofreading function that ensures the fidelity of the aminoacylation reaction, but the histidyl-tRNA synthetase lacks such a proofreading function.

    2008, David L. Nelson, Michael M. Cox, Absolute Ultimate Guide for Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, →ISBN, page S-305
  5. countableobsoleteIn by one's fidelity, to break fidelity, to give fidelity, etc.: one's pledge or promise to act in good faith; an oath, a word of honour.

    By my fidelity this is not vvell.

    c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii], page 55, column 1
  6. obsoleteuncountableOf a person: honesty, trustworthiness; (countable) an instance of this.

    [O]ure lord Jeſus hymſelfe dooth tetifye vnto vs that we receiue hys body and blood. Ought we to doubte of his fidelitie and testimony?

    1534 (date written), Thomas More, “A Treatice vpon the Passion of Chryste (Vnfinished) […]. The Second Lecture vpon the Blessed Sacrament.”, in Marye Basset [i.e., Mary Basset], transl., edited by Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, page 1344, column 2
    2 more examples

    [T]he Church by her publique reading of the booke of God preacheth only as a vvitneſſe. Novv the principall thing required in a vvitneſſe is fidelitie.

    1597, Richard Hooker, “Of Preaching by Reading Publiquely the Bookes of Holie Scripture; and Concerning Supposed Vntruthes in Those Translations of Scripture which We Allow to be Read; as also of the Choice which Wee Make in Reading”, in J[ohn] S[penser], editor, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, book V, section 19, page 29

    Having thus cleared the antiquity of Sanchoniathon, and the Phœnician Hiſtory, vve are to next to conſider the fidelity of it. This Sanchoniathon is highly commended for, both by Porphyry, and his Tranſlator into Greek, […]

    1662, Edward Stillingfleet, “Of the Phænician and Ægyptian History”, in Origines Sacræ, or A Rational Account of the Grounds of Christian Faith, […], London: […] R[obert] W[hite] for Henry Mortlock […], →OCLC, book I, page 30

Synonyms & antonyms

nounOften followed by to or towards: faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one's civic or moral duties, etc.; allegiance; (countable) an instance of this.

Opposite
infidelity

nounFaithfulness or loyalty to one's partner or spouse, including restraint from romantic or sexual relationships with third parties.

Opposite
infidelityinfidelity

nounFaithfulness to God and one's religion.

Similar
faith
Opposite
infidelityinfidelityirreligionnullifidianism

nounAccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality; exactness.

Opposite
infidelity

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe quality of being faithful

Similar
faithfulness
Opposite
infidelity
Broader
quality
Also see
allegiancefaithfulnessfealty

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰidʰ-
  2. Latinfidēlitās“faithfulness, fidelity”
  3. Old Frenchfidélité“faithfulness, fidelity”
  4. Middle Englishfidelite“allegiance, fealty; faithfulness, trust; agreement made in good faith”
  5. Englishfidelity

From Late Middle English fidelite (“allegiance, fealty; faithfulness, trust; agreement made in good faith”), from Old French fidélité (“faithfulness, fidelity”) (modern French fidélité), from Latin fidēlitās (“faithfulness, fidelity”), from fidēlis (“dependable, trustworthy; faithful, loyal”) + -tās (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns denoting a state of being). Fidēlis is derived from fidēs (“belief, faith; confidence, trust; loyalty, fidelity; etc.”) (from Proto-Indo-European *bʰidʰ-, the zero-grade of *bʰeydʰ- (“to convince; to trust”) (whence English bide)) + -ēlis (a variant of -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship)). Doublet of fealty.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic إِخْلَاص, وَلَاء
  • إِخْلَاص (ʔiḵlāṣ)faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • وَلَاء (walāʔ)faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
Bulgarian прецизност, точност
  • прецизност (preciznost)accuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • точност (točnost)accuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • преданост (predanost)faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • вярност (vjarnost)faithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Catalan fidelitat, fidelitat
  • fidelitatdegree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
  • fidelitatfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
Chinese Mandarin 逼真度, 保真度
  • 逼真度accuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • 保真度 (bǎozhēndù)degree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
  • 忠誠 /忠诚 (zhōngchéng)faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • 忠實 /忠实 (zhōngshí)faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • 忠貞 /忠贞 (zhōngzhēn)faithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Finnish uskollisuus, tarkkuus
  • uskollisuusfaithfulness to God and one’s religion
  • tarkkuusaccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • täsmällisyysaccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • uskollisuuscloseness of association between an organism and a plant community
  • toistokykydegree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
  • lojaaliusfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • uskollisuusfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • uskollisuusfaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
French fidélité
  • fidélitéfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
German Genauigkeit, Redlichkeit
  • Genauigkeitaccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • Redlichkeitfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • Treuefaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Hebrew דיוק, נאמנות למקור
  • דיוק (diyúk)accuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • נאמנות למקור (ne'emanút lamakór)degree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
  • נאמנות (ne'emanút)faithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Hungarian hűség, pontosság
  • hűségaccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • pontosságaccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • hűségfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • hűségfaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
  • ragaszkodásfaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Icelandic tryggð, tryggð
  • tryggðfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • tryggðfaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Irish dílseacht, dílseacht
  • dílseachtdegree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
  • dílseachtfaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Italian fedeltà
  • fedeltàfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
Japanese 忠実度
  • 忠実度 (chūjitsudo)degree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
Latin fidelitas
  • fidelitasfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
Malay kesetiaan
  • kesetiaanfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
Māori ngākaupono, pirihonga
  • ngākauponofaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • pirihongafaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • pirihongefaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • pirihongifaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • piriponofaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Persian درستی, راستگویی
  • درستی (dorosti)faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • راستگویی (rāstguyi)faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • صداقت (sedāqat)faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
Polish wierność, wierność
  • wiernośćaccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • wiernośćdegree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
  • wiernośćfaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Portuguese fidelidade, fidelidade
  • fidelidadeaccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • fidelidadedegree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
  • fidelidadefaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • lealdadefaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • fidelidadefaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
  • lealdadefaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Romanian fidelitate
  • fidelitatefaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
Russian то́чность, ка́чество
  • то́чность (tóčnostʹ)accuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • ка́чество (káčestvo)degree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
  • ве́рность (vérnostʹ)faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • лоя́льность (lojálʹnostʹ)faithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Spanish fidelidad, fidelidad
  • fidelidadaccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • fidelidaddegree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
  • fidelidadfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • fidelidadfaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Swedish exakthet, fidelitet
  • exakthetaccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • fidelitetdegree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
  • exakthetdegree to which a system accurately reproduces an input
  • plikttrohetfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • trohetfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • trohetfaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Tamil நேர்மை, நேர்மை
  • நேர்மை (nērmai)faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • நேர்மை (nērmai)faithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
  • ஒழுக்கம் (oḻukkam)faithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Turkish sadakat, sadık
  • sadakatfaithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • sadıkfaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Ukrainian ві́рність, ві́рність
  • ві́рність (vírnistʹ)faithfulness or loyalty towards a person, a group, one’s civic or moral duties, etc.; an instance of this
  • ві́рність (vírnistʹ)faithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Welsh ffyddlondeb, manyldeb
  • ffyddlondebaccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • manyldebaccuracy, or exact correspondence, to some given fact or quality — see also exactness
  • ffyddlondebfaithfulness or loyalty to one’s partner or spouse
Cite this entry
APA

fidelity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fidelity

MLA

“fidelity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fidelity. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fidelity,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fidelity.

Source: fidelity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.