I. faith ‧ ful 1 /ˈfeɪθf ə l/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ faith , ↑ faithfulness ≠ ↑ unfaithfulness , ↑ faithful , ↑ faithlessness ; adjective : ↑ faithful ≠ ↑ unfaithful , ↑ faithless ; adverb : ↑ faithfully ≠ ↑ unfaithfully ]
1 . [usually before noun] remaining loyal to a particular person, belief, political party etc and continuing to support them:
a faithful friend
years of faithful service to the company
our faithful family dog, Bogey
a faithful member of the church
faithful to
He remained faithful to his principles to the last.
2 . [usually before noun] representing an event or an image in a way that is exactly true or that looks exactly the same SYN exact :
a faithful account of what had happened
a faithful reproduction of the original picture
3 . if you are faithful to your wife, boyfriend etc, you do not have a sexual relationship with anyone else
faithful to
Do you think Bob’s always been faithful to you?
4 . [only before noun] able to be trusted or depended on SYN reliable :
my faithful old Toyota
—faithfulness noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ faithful continuing to support a person, party, belief etc for a long time:
his long and faithful service to the party
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his faithful servant
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He remained faithful to his fatherland right to the end.
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She was one of the party’s most faithful and hardworking members.
▪ loyal supporting a particular person, party, set of beliefs, etc – used especially about someone you can can trust and depend on to support you:
a loyal friend
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loyal party members
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The women have remained loyal to the goals of the Communist Party.
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I am not blindly loyal. If I see something that I think is a mistake which could be handled better, I will say so.
▪ devoted strongly supporting someone or something because you admire them, love them, or enjoy what they do:
the author’s devoted fans
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her devoted husband
▪ staunch [only before noun] a staunch supporter, defender, or ↑ ally is very loyal, in spite of problems or difficulties:
He is a staunch supporter of the president.
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a staunch defender of civil liberties
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the US’s staunchest ally
▪ steadfast [usually before noun] a steadfast friend or supporter is very loyal. Also used about someone’s support or service:
Lewis was a generous and steadfast friend.
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the steadfast support of America's allies
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The Queen has set a shining example of steadfast service to her country.
▪ true faithful and loyal to someone, or to your beliefs, principles etc, even if there are problems:
In times like these you find out who your true friends are.
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He remained true to his socialist priniciples.
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She promised that she would always be true to him.
▪ patriotic feeling a lot of love and respect for your country:
Americans are very patriotric.
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His speech was full of patriotic rhetoric.
II. faithful 2 BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ faith , ↑ faithfulness ≠ ↑ unfaithfulness , ↑ faithful , ↑ faithlessness ; adjective : ↑ faithful ≠ ↑ unfaithful , ↑ faithless ; adverb : ↑ faithfully ≠ ↑ unfaithfully ]
1 . the faithful [plural]
a) the people who are very loyal to a leader, political party etc and continue to support them:
Hess still has the support of the party faithful.
b) the people who believe in a religion:
church bells calling the faithful to evening prayer
2 . [countable] a loyal follower, supporter, or member:
A handful of old faithfuls came to the meeting.