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.