loyal

B1 Topic:Describing People

US /ˈlɔɪəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #3331

Meanings

1

adj
Always supporting and staying faithful to a person, group, or cause.

Dogs are very loyal animals, which is why they make wonderful pets.
2

adj
Firmly committed to a country or institution.

He remained loyal to the company through its hardest years.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · always supporting and... faithful

2 adj · firmly committed to a... firm

Opposites

disloyal fickle treacherous

Word family

Forms loyaller

Derived forms loyaliseloyalismloyalistloyalizationloyalizeloyallyloyalnessnonloyaloverloyalsemiloyalsuperloyalultraloyal

Related forms loyalty

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

loyal opposition
political opponents who accept the legitimacy of the state while challenging its government

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Loyal entered English in the early 16th century through French and ultimately derives from Latin lex, leg- “law.” The closely related form leal had already appeared in Middle English.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French loyal, from Old French loial, leial, leal, from Latin lēgālis. Doublet of legal and leal.

loial, leial, leal Old French lēgālis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing People

External links

# loyal

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈlɔɪəl/
**Frequency rank:** 3331

## Meanings
1. Always supporting and staying faithful to a person, group, or cause.
2. Firmly committed to a country or institution.

## Examples
- Dogs are very loyal animals, which is why they make wonderful pets.
- He remained loyal to the company through its hardest years.

## Antonyms
- disloyal
- fickle
- treacherous

## Derived Forms
- loyalise
- loyalism
- loyalist
- loyalization
- loyalize
- loyally
- loyalness
- nonloyal
- overloyal
- semiloyal
- superloyal
- ultraloyal

## Related Forms
- loyalty

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: loial, leial, leal
- Root: lēgālis

## Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French loyal, from Old French loial, leial, leal, from Latin lēgālis. Doublet of legal and leal.

## AI Etymology
Loyal was borrowed from Middle French loyal, from Old French loial, leial, leal, from Latin lēgālis. Doublet of legal and leal. In present-day English its meanings include always supporting and staying faithful to a person, group, or cause and firmly committed to a country or institution. The historical chain runs through loial, leial, leal (Old French) and lēgālis (Latin). Related and derived forms include loyalty, loyalise, loyalism, and loyalist.

## Topics
- Describing People

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