LOYALTY


Meaning of LOYALTY in English

loy ‧ al ‧ ty /ˈlɔɪəlti/ BrE AmE noun ( plural loyalties )

1 . [uncountable] the quality of remaining faithful to your friends, principles, country etc

loyalty to/towards

Elizabeth understood her husband’s loyalty to his sister.

2 . [countable usually plural] a feeling of support for someone or something

local/regional/tribal/family etc loyalty/loyalties

In the rural areas, family and tribal loyalties continue to be important.

the agony of divided loyalties (=loyalty to two different or opposing people) for the children in a divorce

• • •

COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + loyalty

▪ absolute/total/complete loyalty

He knew that he had Boyle's complete loyalty.

▪ great/deep/strong loyalty

She was admired for her deep loyalty to her colleagues.

▪ fierce/intense loyalty

She was touched by her friend's fierce loyalty.

▪ unswerving loyalty (=loyalty that does not change)

He was rewarded for his unswerving loyalty.

▪ blind/unthinking loyalty (=loyalty to a person or group without questioning whether they are right - used disapprovingly)

Sarah was criticized for her blind loyalty to her husband.

▪ undivided loyalty (=loyalty that goes only to one person or group)

He has the undivided loyalty of Manchester United fans.

▪ divided loyalties (=when you feel that you should be loyal to two people, groups etc)

She felt divided loyalties, having friends on both sides of the dispute.

▪ customer/brand loyalty (=when someone shops in the same shops or buys the same goods regularly)

The company's marketing department is trying to build customer loyalty.

▪ party/political loyalty

Most of the people seem to vote according to party loyalty.

▪ personal loyalty (=loyalty to someone as a person, rather than to a company or organization)

He inspired personal loyalty among his employees.

▪ family loyalty

Family loyalty prevented her from telling what she knew.

▪ national loyalty

National loyalties can be a cause of conflict between countries.

▪ tribal loyalty (=loyalty to your group, team etc, which is felt by a large number of people - often used disapprovingly)

Football fans tend to have a strange kind of tribal loyalty.

▪ company loyalty

As people change jobs more often, company loyalty is less common.

■ verbs

▪ feel loyalty towards somebody/something

Marco felt an intense loyalty to his native country.

▪ inspire/command somebody's loyalty (=make someone feel loyal to you)

He inspires extraordinary loyalty among his staff.

▪ show/prove your loyalty (=do something that shows you are loyal to someone)

He showed great loyalty to his wife during her long illness.

▪ swear/pledge loyalty (=promise that you will be loyal)

The president's assistants swore their loyalty to him.

■ phrases

▪ a sense of loyalty

She had a strong sense of loyalty to her family.

▪ an oath of loyalty (=a promise to be loyal)

They swore an oath of loyalty to their king.

▪ where your loyalties lie (=who or what you are going to be loyal to)

Do your loyalties lie with your friends or your family?

■ loyalty + NOUN

▪ a loyalty scheme (=when a company or shop gives customers a reward for continuing to use them)

The supermarket operates a loyalty scheme.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.