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 If the positions rest on loyalty, or fealty, or even punishment, how is that person supposed to deal with being isolated with presumably dangerous criminal inmates in the middle of a swamp? Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 June 2025 What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence to be complicit in this moment. ABC News, 15 June 2025 The administration has disregarded events in Gaza and has hollowed out the FBI and intelligence services, putting fealty to the president above competence for the job. Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 5 June 2025 The layers of fealty, love and the grinding terror of war are absolute perfection. Caitlin Starling, People.com, 19 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for fealty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fealty
Noun
  • And possibly sharks and God and the pledge of allegiance too.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
  • But Harbaugh and the Wolverines did not waver in their commitment, and the result of their allegiance will live on forever.
    Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The emotional record, shared alongside a video and lyrics posted to Instagram, hears Thugger addressing infidelity, loyalty, fractured friendships, while taking full accountability for his mistakes.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • All Vera Wang Bride purchases will qualify for David’s Diamond Loyalty Program, the industry’s first and only bridal loyalty rewards program.
    Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Traditional approaches focus on financial engineering such as negotiating discounts for long-term commitments, or on observability tools that track who is running what.
    Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Microsoft has subsequently also offered to make further commitments to resolve its competition concerns after the European Commission market-tested the firm's initial pledges.
    Ryan Browne, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The promise of career gains through extreme dedication is often misleading, while the personal costs are undeniable.
    Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Advertisement This granular knowledge and deep curiosity is also what drives Speer’s long-standing dedication to protecting the vast, vulnerable open ocean and deep-sea environments that lie outside of national borders and hold some of the largest reservoirs of biodiversity on earth.
    Bonnie Tsui, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • During Saturday night’s show, Gillis kept celebrating his Irish devotion.
    Pete Sampson, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The Ganges has been a center of trade and devotion for centuries, the Brahmaputra feeds tea estates and wildlife-rich floodplains, and Kerala’s canals knit together fishing towns and rice paddies.
    Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The ShiftCam ProMic shotgun mic is described as high-sensitivity, high-fidelity.
    Jan Wagner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Spotify has been teasing the high-fidelity format for years.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Fealty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fealty. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on fealty

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!