faithful

[feyth-fuh l] /ˈfeɪθ fəl/
adjective
1.
strict or thorough in the performance of duty:
a faithful worker.
2.
true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.
3.
steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant:
faithful friends.
4.
reliable, trusted, or believed.
5.
adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate:
a faithful account; a faithful copy.
6.
Obsolete. full of faith; believing.
noun
7.
the faithful.
  1. the believers, especially members of a Christian church or adherents of Islam.
  2. the body of loyal members of any party or group.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English feithful. See faith, -ful
Related forms
faithfully, adverb
faithfulness, noun
overfaithful, adjective
overfaithfully, adverb
overfaithfulness, noun
pseudofaithful, adjective
pseudofaithfully, adverb
quasi-faithful, adjective
quasi-faithfully, adverb
Synonyms
1, 3. true, devoted, staunch. 3. Faithful, constant, loyal imply qualities of stability, dependability, and devotion. Faithful implies long-continued and steadfast fidelity to whatever one is bound to by a pledge, duty, or obligation: a faithful friend. Constant suggests firmness and steadfastness in attachment: a constant affection. Loyal implies unswerving allegiance to a person, organization, cause, or idea: loyal to one's associates, one's country. 5. precise, exact.
Examples from the web for faithful
  • He was obedient, loyal, a faithful officer of a great state.
  • He gave the name to his accurate, faithful and loving observation of nature.
  • As priests poured holy water on the sacred statues, the faithful rushed to catch drops.
  • All of them rely on the beliefs, devotion, yearnings and financial commitment of a roomful of the faithful.
  • Who are faithful to the cause, and not to people with whom you merely have a history.
  • faithful companions who help us find our way in the world-and into a trio of happy endings.
  • They do get old and then the faithful hen gets cooked.
  • Whatever the spring's source, the faithful keep coming.
  • As long as this led to electoral success, the party faithful were happy.
  • But when it comes to fungi-which supply the orchid with nutrients-the flowers are much more faithful.
British Dictionary definitions for faithful

faithful

/ˈfeɪθfʊl/
adjective
1.
having faith; remaining true, constant, or loyal
2.
maintaining sexual loyalty to one's lover or spouse
3.
consistently reliable: a faithful worker
4.
reliable or truthful: a faithful source
5.
accurate in detail: a faithful translation
noun
6.
the faithful
  1. the believers in and loyal adherents of a religious faith, esp Christianity
  2. any group of loyal and steadfast followers
Derived Forms
faithfully, adverb
faithfulness, noun
Word Origin and History for faithful
adj.

c.1300, "full of faith," also "firm in allegiance," from faith + -ful. Meaning "true to the facts" is from 1520s. The noun sense of "true believers" is from 1550s. Related: Faithfully; faithfulness. Old Faithful geyser named 1870 by explorer Gen. H.D. Washburn, Surveyor-General of the Montana Territory, in reference to the regularity of its outbursts.

faithful in the Bible

as a designation of Christians, means full of faith, trustful, and not simply trustworthy (Acts 10:45; 16:1; 2 Cor. 6:15; Col. 1:2; 1 Tim. 4:3, 12; 5:16; 6:2; Titus 1:6; Eph. 1:1; 1 Cor. 4:17, etc.). It is used also of God's word or covenant as true and to be trusted (Ps. 119:86, 138; Isa. 25:1; 1 Tim. 1:15; Rev. 21:5; 22:6, etc.).