Word
faithful
Phoneticsfaith·ful, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈfeɪθfəɫ/
UK/fˈeɪθfəl/
Definitions
01loyal
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. staying loyal to a person, a group, or a set of beliefs over a long time.
adj. adhering firmly and devotedly to a person, cause, or idea.
“He remained a faithful friend even during the most difficult years of her life.”
“Despite the political upheaval, the general remained faithful to the constitution, refusing to support the attempted coup.”
Antonyms
02monogamous
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. having a sexual relationship with only one person, such as a husband or wife.
adj. remaining sexually loyal to a single spouse or long-term partner.
“They promised to be faithful to each other when they got married.”
“The study examined the social factors that encourage couples to remain faithful throughout decades of marriage.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03accurate
C1 · Advanced Formal
adj. exactly like the original thing or the truth.
adj. representing something with a high degree of accuracy or truth; consistent with reality.
“The film is a faithful version of the famous book.”
“The architect insisted on a faithful restoration of the cathedral, using only materials that were available in the twelfth century.”
Antonyms
04mathematics
C2 · Proficiency Mathematics Technical
adj. a technical way to describe certain types of mathematical relationships.
adj. describing a representation or functor that is injective, or a module whose annihilator is zero.
“The professor explained why this specific representation is considered faithful.”
“In category theory, a faithful functor is one that is injective on morphisms for every pair of objects in the source category.”
Synonyms
05the believers
C1 · Advanced Plural noun Religion Formal
n. the people who follow a religion or a specific cause.
n. the collective body of practicing members of a religion or devoted followers of a movement.
“The priest spoke to the faithful during the morning service.”
“The party leader gathered the faithful for a final rally on the eve of the national election.”
Usage
Usually used as 'the faithful' to refer to a group of people.
Real-World Examples
“McCormack said the Nostell version is “understood to be the most faithful to Holbein’s original and the only same-size version that survives”.” “Did they mean that she should be more faithful to the original poem?” Etymology
From Middle English feithful, equivalent to faith + -ful.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/faithful