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Meaning & use

loyal servant

noun·Advancedformal

Last updated

UK/ˌlɔɪəl ˈsɜːvənt/
US/ˌlɔɪəl ˈsɜːrvənt/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    a person who serves another person or organization faithfully over a long period

    Grammar: Countable: a loyal servant, two loyal servants. Often used with 'a' or 'the'.

    Patterns

    • a loyal servant of something
    • a loyal servant to someone
    • serve as a loyal servant

    For forty years he was a loyal servant of the company, never missing a day.

    She described herself as a loyal servant of the people she represented.

    The old teacher was a loyal servant to the school until his retirement.

  2. nouncountableold-fashioned

    a domestic worker who has worked for the same household for many years and is trusted

    Grammar: Countable and rather old-fashioned; it suggests a long, trusted relationship.

    Patterns

    • the family's loyal servant
    • a loyal old servant

    The family's loyal servant had looked after the house for three generations.

    In the novel, a loyal servant helps the young hero escape.

Word forms

pluralloyal servants

Common combinations

a loyal servant of the company
He was a loyal servant of the company for over thirty years.
a loyal servant to the crown
The general called himself a loyal servant to the crown.
a faithful and loyal servant
She was a faithful and loyal servant to her community.

Synonyms and how they differ

faithful employee
More neutral and modern; it does not carry the old-fashioned, almost literary feel of 'loyal servant'.
devoted follower
Focuses on personal devotion rather than long service, and is used more for supporters than workers.

Opposites

traitorbetrayer

Word family

loyalty noun
The quality of being faithful to a person or group.
loyally adverb
In a faithful way.
serve verb
To work for or help someone.
servant noun
A person employed to work in another person's house.

Commonly confused: loyal servant or civil servant?

loyal servant vs civil servant

A civil servant works for the government, while a loyal servant is simply a faithful worker or helper; 'loyal' describes the person's attitude, not their job.

Practice

After thirty years with the firm, he was widely seen as a ______ servant of the company.

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