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Meaning & use

fealty

noun·Advancedformalliterary

Last updated

UK/ˈfiːəlti/
US/ˈfiːəlti/

Meanings

  1. noununcountabletechnical

    A sworn promise of loyalty and service that a vassal made to the lord he served in medieval times.

    Grammar: Usually no article: he swore fealty, not a fealty.

    Patterns

    • swear fealty to someone
    • owe fealty to someone

    The knight knelt and swore fealty to the duke.

    In return for his land, he owed fealty and military service to the king.

    Each baron was expected to renew his fealty when a new ruler took the throne.

  2. noununcountablefigurative

    Strong loyalty or faithful devotion to a leader, group or cause, often shown in a way that seems old-fashioned.

    Grammar: Often followed by to: fealty to a party.

    Patterns

    • fealty to something
    • pledge fealty to someone

    The senator was accused of showing more fealty to donors than to voters.

    Fans of the band show remarkable fealty, following it from city to city.

    He maintained his fealty to the old traditions long after others abandoned them.

Word forms

pluralfealties

Common combinations

swear fealty
The new lords gathered to swear fealty to the queen.
pledge fealty
Candidates were expected to pledge fealty to the party leader.
owe fealty
Peasants owed fealty to the local lord.
oath of fealty
He took an oath of fealty in front of the whole court.
declare fealty
Several rivals publicly declared fealty to the winner.

Synonyms and how they differ

loyalty
Loyalty is the everyday word for faithful support, while fealty sounds formal and carries the idea of a solemn oath of duty.
allegiance
Allegiance usually describes support for a country, group or cause, and fealty is more personal, owed to a particular lord or leader.
devotion
Devotion stresses deep love or commitment, while fealty stresses duty that has been formally promised.
homage
Homage in the feudal sense was the ceremony of becoming a vassal, whereas fealty was the oath of faithfulness that went with it.

Opposites

betrayaltreacherydisloyalty

Word family

fealties noun
plural, meaning several sworn loyalties
fidelity noun
a related word from the same Latin root meaning faithfulness
feudal adjective
relating to the medieval system in which fealty was owed

Commonly confused: fealty or fidelity?

fealty vs fidelity

Fidelity means faithfulness, often in a relationship or to the facts, as in marital fidelity. Fealty means a promised loyalty owed to a ruler or leader.

Practice

In the middle ages, a knight would kneel and swear ____ to the lord who gave him land.

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