solidarity

solidarity — noun

1. the feeling of unity among people who share the same beliefs or aims, leading th

1.nounC1
Definition

the feeling of unity among people who share the same beliefs or aims, leading them to help and support one another, especially in difficult situations or when facing opposition.

Example

The factory workers' solidarity held firm even after management threatened to close the entire plant.

uncountable noun as subject + held firm

When a fire destroyed Lan's home, neighbours showed solidarity by raising funds and offering shelter.

show + solidarity as object

Common collocations
  • show solidarity
  • express solidarity
  • demonstrate solidarity
  • sense of solidarity
  • gesture of solidarity
  • in solidarity with
  • worker solidarity
  • international solidarity
  • class solidarity
Synonyms
  • unity

    broader term; focuses on the state of being joined together rather than the active commitment to support each other

  • togetherness

    more informal and emotional; emphasises warm personal relationships over shared political goals

  • cohesion

    more formal and structural; used in organisational or sociological analysis of what holds a group together

  • fellowship

    emphasises shared purpose and camaraderie; often used in religious or voluntary-group contexts

Antonyms
  • division

    the opposite condition of a group being split by disagreement or conflict

  • disunity

    directly contrasts with both unity and solidarity

Grammar Patterns

show/express/demonstrate + solidarity

in solidarity with + noun phrase

sense of solidarity

Usage Note

Solidarity is uncountable — it does not take a plural form. It describes a collective bond rather than individual feelings, and appears most often in political, labour, and social-justice contexts.

Common Mistakes

The group showed their solidarities with the protesters.
The group showed their solidarity with the protesters.
solidarity is uncountable and never takes a plural form.
I feel solidarity to the team.
I feel solidarity with the team.
the correct preposition is with, not to.
She had a solidarity with the cause.
She felt a sense of solidarity with the cause.
the noun collocates naturally with a sense of, not directly with have.

Word family

  • solidaristic
    adjectiveC2
  • solidarize
    verbC2
  • solidary
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all describe people being connected, but they differ in emphasis and context. Unity is the broadest term: it simply means the state of being joined into one unit, and does not necessarily imply active mutual support. Togetherness is warmer and more personal; it describes close emotional bonds within a small group rather than political or social movements. Cohesion is a formal word often used in organisational or sociological analysis — it refers to the structural forces that keep a group intact. Fellowship emphasises shared mission and companionship, commonly appearing in religious, academic, or charitable contexts. Solidarity goes beyond all of these by stressing deliberate, active support — people in solidarity choose to stand with each other, especially when facing opposition or hardship. For example, a sports team has unity when they play well together, but a union shows solidarity when its members vote to support another group's strike.

unity ↗togethernesscohesion ↗fellowship ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in solidarity with
  • show solidarity
  • express solidarity
  • demonstrate solidarity
  • stand in solidarity
  • message of solidarity

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Solidarity entered English in the early 1800s, borrowed from French solidarité, which itself came from solidaire meaning 'mutually responsible'. The French word traces back to Latin solidus, meaning 'solid' or 'whole'. The original legal meaning referred to a shared financial obligation — if one person could not pay, the others were responsible for the full amount. Over time the word broadened to describe any kind of mutual support among people with shared interests or beliefs.