faithfully

faithfully — adverb

1. showing steady loyalty or dependability in your actions toward a person, group,

1.adverbB2
Definition

showing steady loyalty or dependability in your actions toward a person, group, or cause over time

Example

The old dog sat faithfully by the door each evening, waiting for Meera to return.

faithfully + waiting / loyal action toward a person

Tamar faithfully served on the hospital board for twenty years without ever missing a meeting.

faithfully + long-term service

Common collocations
  • faithfully serve
  • faithfully attend
  • faithfully support
  • faithfully stand by
  • faithfully collect
Synonyms
  • loyally

    closest synonym, used for personal relationships and groups

  • devotedly

    stronger emotional commitment; implies deep personal attachment

  • dependably

    focuses on reliability and trustworthiness rather than emotional loyalty

Antonyms
  • unfaithfully

    direct opposite; acting without loyalty or honesty

  • disloyally

    implies betrayal of trust or allegiance

Grammar Patterns

faithfully + verb of ongoing commitment

Common Mistakes

I faithfully believe he is telling the truth.
I firmly believe he is telling the truth.
Faithfully in this sense describes loyal, reliable actions, not the strength of a personal conviction.

2. a conventional closing phrase placed above your signature, used in formal letter

2.adverbB1
Definition

a conventional closing phrase placed above your signature, used in formal letters when the addressee is called 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Madam' rather than by name

Example

I would be grateful for a prompt reply. Yours faithfully, Owen Mitchell.

fixed closing: Yours faithfully + signature

Please find my application materials enclosed. Yours faithfully, Dr. Sumin Choi.

Grammar Patterns

Yours faithfully (fixed formula)

Usage Note

Only use 'Yours faithfully' when you opened the letter with 'Dear Sir', 'Dear Madam', or 'Dear Sir/Madam' (i.e., you do not know the recipient's name). If you wrote 'Dear Mr. Chen' or 'Dear Dr. Williams', close with 'Yours sincerely' instead. In American English, 'Sincerely' or 'Yours truly' is more common regardless of the salutation.

Common Mistakes

Dear Mr. Tanaka, ... Yours faithfully, Felix
Dear Mr. Tanaka, ... Yours sincerely, Felix
Use 'Yours faithfully' only with 'Dear Sir/Madam'; use 'Yours sincerely' when you address the person by name.

3. matching the original or the truth in every detail, without changing or leaving

3.adverbB2
Definition

matching the original or the truth in every detail, without changing or leaving anything out

Example

The journalist faithfully reported every detail of the city council meeting the next morning.

faithfully + reported (accurately/truthfully)

Nala's English translation faithfully captured the mood of the original Korean poem.

faithfully + captured (in translation)

Common collocations
  • faithfully report
  • faithfully copy
  • faithfully translate
  • faithfully record
  • faithfully reproduce
  • faithfully follow
Synonyms
  • accurately

    most direct synonym; used for facts, measurements, reproduction

  • precisely

    emphasises exactness down to the smallest detail

  • exactly

    stronger and more common in everyday speech

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

faithfully + verb of recording (report, copy, translate, record, follow)

Common Mistakes

She faithfully promised to help us.
She sincerely promised to help us.
Faithfully (sense 3) is about accuracy, not about the honesty of a promise.
Idioms

Yours faithfully

idiom

A polite way to end a formal letter when you started it with 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Madam' instead of a person's name.

Mia wrote 'Yours faithfully' at the bottom of her job application letter.

Did you remember to sign the email with 'Yours faithfully'?

Word family

  • faith
    nounB2
  • faithful
    adjectiveB2
  • faithfulness
    nounC1
  • unfaithful
    adjectiveB2
  • unfaithfully
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four describe reliable commitment, but they differ in tone and scope. 'Loyally' is the closest to 'faithfully' and works for both personal relationships and institutional duties (e.g., served loyally on the committee). 'Devotedly' adds emotional warmth and personal attachment — you would describe a spouse as devoted, but not a board member. 'Dependably' shifts the focus from emotional loyalty to practical reliability: a dependable employee shows up on time and does the work, even if the relationship is purely professional. 'Steadfastly' suggests unwavering resolve under pressure or opposition. Use 'steadfastly' when the person carried on despite difficulty: 'She steadfastly defended her colleague against unfair criticism.' For everyday use, 'loyally' and 'dependably' are the safest choices.

loyallydevotedlydependablysteadfastly

Common collocations

Phrases

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Formed in English by adding the adverb suffix '-ly' to 'faithful', which itself is 'faith' plus '-ful'. 'Faith' entered English through Old French 'feid' (from Latin 'fides', meaning trust or belief) and gradually shifted from religious belief toward general loyalty and trustworthiness. The 'accurately' sense (sense 3) emerged around the 16th century, when 'faithfully' began to describe careful, faithful reproduction of an original text or idea.