loyal

adjective

loy·​al ˈlȯi(-ə)l 

1

: unswerving in allegiance: such as

a

: faithful in allegiance to one's lawful sovereign or government

were loyal to the king

b

: faithful to a private person to whom faithfulness is due

a loyal husband

c

: faithful to a cause, ideal, custom, institution, or product

a loyal churchgoer

loyal to the party of their forebears

—Dennis Farney

2

: showing loyalty

a loyal friend

3

obsolete : lawful, legitimate

loyally

ˈlȯi-ə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• constant
• dedicated
• devoted
• devout
• down-the-line
• faithful
• fast
• good
• pious
• staunch
• stanch
• steadfast
• steady
• true
• true-blue

Choose the Right Synonym for loyal

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 loyal in a Sentence

The team has many loyal fans.

She has provided the company with many years of loyal service.

Recent Examples on the Web

Surpassing 1,000 pages, the tome should be long enough to keep Sanderson's legion of loyal fans sated at least for awhile. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024

The team began a quick decline after that, a slide that bottomed out last season when the Galaxy fired longtime president Chris Klein amid an embarrassing fan boycott that saw the club’s most loyal supporters refuse to attend matches. —Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024

When Herod the Great orders what becomes known as the Massacre of the Innocents, Mary and a loyal Joseph are forced to flee to Egypt. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

However, as Hip-Hop fans know, K. Dot already had a loyal home base at the time, Top Dawg Entertainment. —Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Old French leial, leel, from Latin legalis legal

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

loyal

adjective

loy·​al ˈlȯi(-ə)l 

1

a

: faithful to one's lawful government

b

: faithful to a person to whom allegiance or affection is due

2

: faithful to a cause or ideal

loyally

ˈlȯi-ə-lē 

adverb