fidelity

[ fi-del-i-tee, fahy- ]

noun

, plural fi·del·i·ties.

1. strict observance of promises, duties, etc.:

   a servant's fidelity.

2. loyalty:

   fidelity to one's country.

   Antonyms: disloyalty

3. conjugal faithfulness.
4. adherence to fact or detail.
5. accuracy; exactness:

   The speech was transcribed with great fidelity.

   Synonyms: rigor, faithfulness, precision

6. Audio, Video. the degree of accuracy with which sound or images are recorded or reproduced.

fidelity

/ fɪˈdɛlɪtɪ /

noun

1. devotion to duties, obligations, etc; faithfulness
2. loyalty or devotion, as to a person or cause
3. faithfulness to one's spouse, lover, etc
4. adherence to truth; accuracy in reporting detail
5. electronics the degree to which the output of a system, such as an amplifier or radio, accurately reproduces the characteristics of the input signal See also high fidelity

Other Words From

• nonfi·deli·ty noun
• unfi·deli·ty noun plural unfidelities

Word History and Origins

Origin of fidelity¹

First recorded in 1500–10; late Middle English fidelite (from Middle French ), from Latin fidēlitās, equivalent to fidēli- (stem of fidēlis “loyal,” equivalent to fidē(s) faith + -lis adjective suffix) + -tās -ty ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of fidelity¹

C15: from Latin fidēlitās , from fidēlis faithful, from fidēs faith, loyalty

Synonym Study

See loyalty.

Example Sentences

As with the finest box sets, the production team has rendered the original contents with considerable fidelity, affording the recordings with greater definition while being assiduously careful about maintaining the artist’s five-decade-old vision.

From Salon

Trump’s first attorney general, the conservative former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, outraged him with his fidelity to the rule of law at key junctures.

From Los Angeles Times

"He's influenced by conspiracy theories on social media, and he has no fidelity to science and evidence."

From Salon

Paul Tamburro, from news website PlayStation LifeStyle, said fans had been hoping the console could "bridge the gap" between performance and fidelity modes, and the upgrade would help.

From BBC

“On a hospital visit one time, when people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy. No morals. And no fidelity to the truth.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• faithfulness
• loyalty