Loyal

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: loy=al

CIDE DICTIONARY

Loyal, a. [F. loyal, OF. loial, leial, L. legalis, fr. lex, legis, law. See Legal, and cf. Leal.].

•  Faithful to law; upholding the lawful authority; faithful and true to the lawful government; faithful to the prince or sovereign to whom one is subject; unswerving in allegiance.  [1913 Webster]

  "Welcome, sir John ! But why come you in arms ? --
  To help King Edward in his time of storm,
  As every loyal subject ought to do."  [1913 Webster]
•  True to any person or persons to whom one owes fidelity, especially as a wife to her husband, lovers to each other, and friend to friend; constant; faithful to a cause or a principle.  [1913 Webster]

  "Your true and loyal wife."  [1913 Webster]

  "Unhappy both, but loyaltheir loves."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Loyal, adj.
1 (often foll. by to) true or faithful (to duty, love, or obligation).
2 steadfast in allegiance; devoted to the legitimate sovereign or government of one's country.
3 showing loyalty.

Idiom

loyal toast a toast to the sovereign.

Derivative

loyally adv.

Etymology

F f. OF loial etc. f. L legalis LEGAL

THESAURUS

Loyal

abandoned, acquiescent, active, afire, ardent, assiduous, burning, committed, compliant, complying, conforming, conscientious, consistent, constant, continuing, dedicated, dependable, devoted, devout, diligent, dogged, duteous, dutiful, earnest, enduring, faithful, fervent, fervid, fiery, firm, fixed, flaming, flinty, hearty, heated, hot, hot-blooded, immovable, immutable, impassioned, in earnest, inalterable, indefatigable, indomitable, industrious, inflexible, insistent, intense, intent, intent on, invincible, lasting, law-abiding, liege, marble-constant, meticulous, mindful, never-tiring, obedient, observant, obstinate, on fire, passionate, patient, patient as Job, patriotic, perfervid, permanent, perseverant, persevering, persistent, persisting, pertinacious, plodding, plugging, practicing, preoccupied, punctilious, punctual, rapt, red-hot, regardful, relentless, reliable, resolute, scrupulous, sedulous, serious, set, settled, sincere, single-minded, sleepless, slogging, sot, spirited, stable, staunch, steadfast, steady, steely, stubborn, submissive, tenacious, tireless, true, true-blue, trusted, trustworthy, trusty, unabating, unbending, unconquerable, undaunted, undeflectable, undiscouraged, undrooping, unfailing, unfaltering, unflagging, unflappable, unflinching, unintermitting, uninterrupted, unnodding, unrelaxing, unrelenting, unremitting, unshaken, unsleeping, unswerving, untiring, unwavering, unwearied, unwearying, unwinking, unyielding, utterly attentive, vehement, warm, weariless, white-hot, willing, zealous

ROGET THESAURUS

Loyal

Obedience

N obedience, observance, compliance, submission, subjection, nonresistance, passiveness, resignation, allegiance, loyalty, fealty, homage, deference, devotion, constancy, fidelity, submissness, submissiveness, ductility, obsequiousness, obedient, complying, compliant, loyal, faithful, devoted, at one's call, at one's command, at one's orders, at one's beck and call, under beck and call, under control, restrainable, resigned, passive, submissive, henpecked, pliant, unresisted, obediently, in compliance with, in obedience to, to hear is to obey, as you please, if you please, your wish is my command, as you wish, no sooner said than done.

Observance

N observance, performance, compliance, acquiescence, concurrence, obedience, fulfillment, satisfaction, discharge, acquittance, acquittal, adhesion, acknowledgment, fidelity, exact, observance, observant, faithful, true, loyal, honorable, true as the dial to the sun, true as the needle to the pole, punctual, punctilious, literal, as good as one's word, faithfully, ignoscito saepe alteri nunquam tibi, tempori parendum, to God, thy country, and thy friend be true.

Probity

N probity, integrity, rectitude, uprightness, honesty, faith, honor, bonne foi, good faith, bona fides, purity, clean hands, fairness, fair play, justice, equity, impartiality, principle, even-handedness, grace, constancy, faithfulness, fidelity, loyalty, incorruption, incorruptibility, trustworthiness, truth, candor, singleness of heart, veracity, tender conscience, punctilio, delicacy, nicety, scrupulosity, scrupulousness, scruple, point, point of honor, punctuality, dignity, (repute), respectability, respectableness, gentilhomme, gentleman, man of honor, man of his word, fidus Achates, preux chevalier, galantuomo, truepenny, trump, brick, true Briton, white man, court of honor, a fair field and no favor, argumentum ad verecundiam, upright, honest, honest as daylight, veracious, virtuous, honorable, fair, right, just, equitable, impartial, evenhanded, square, fair and aboveboard, open and aboveboard, white, constant, constant as the northern star, faithful, loyal, staunch, true, true blue, true to one's colors, true to the core, true as the needle to the pole, marble-constant, true- hearted, trusty, trustworthy, as good as one's word, to be depended on, incorruptible, straightforward, frank, candid, open-hearted, conscientious, tender-conscienced, right-minded, high-principled, high-minded, scrupulous, religious, strict, nice, punctilious, correct, punctual, respectable, reputable, gentlemanlike, inviolable, inviolate, unviolated, unbroken, unbetrayed, unbought, unbribed, innocent, pure, stainless, unstained, untarnished, unsullied, untainted, unperjured, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, undefiled, undepraved, undebauched, integer vitae scelerisque purus, justus et tenax propositi, chivalrous, jealous of honor, sans peur et sans reproche, high-spirited, supramundane, unworldly, other-worldly, overscrupulous, honorable, bona fide, on the square, in good faith, honor bright, foro conscientiae, with clean hands, a face untaught to feign, bene qui latuit bene vixit, mens sibi conscia recti, probitas laudatur et alget, fidelis ad urnam, his heart as far from fraud as heaven from earth, loyaute m'oblige, loyaute n'a honte, what stronger breastplate than a heart untainted?.