fealty

/ˈfiːəlti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfiːəlti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfē(-ə)l-tē/ (ame, mw)

fealty — noun

1. a formal promise of loyalty and faithful service, especially one made in the pas

1.名詞C1
釋義

a formal promise of loyalty and faithful service, especially one made in the past by a person who agreed to serve and defend a king, queen, or noble landowner.

例句

At the castle, Noa swore fealty to Queen Eleanor by kneeling before her throne.

swear fealty + to + [person/role]

The loyal knights of Rashida renewed their fealty each year at a solemn ceremony.

renew one's fealty

同義詞
  • allegiance

    More general — the loyalty a person owes to a country, group, or cause, not only to a ruler; less archaic than fealty.

  • loyalty

    The common, everyday word for faithfulness and support; covers all registers and contexts.

  • fidelity

    Emphasises continuing faithfulness in a relationship or duty; also used for accuracy (e.g. 'fidelity to the original text').

反義詞
  • treachery

    Deliberate betrayal of trust or loyalty, the opposite of keeping a sworn promise.

  • disloyalty

    Lack of loyalty or support; can describe milder forms of unfaithfulness.

文法句型

fealty + to + [person]

用法筆記

Now quite formal and old-fashioned. In modern English, it appears mostly in historical writing, fantasy fiction, or deliberately formal contexts. The more common alternatives are 'loyalty' and 'allegiance', which fit everyday and professional situations naturally.

常見錯誤

❌The employee showed fealty to the company.
✅The employee showed loyalty to the company.
💡'fealty' sounds overly dramatic in a modern workplace context; use 'loyalty' or 'dedication' instead.
❌I swear fealty to our project leader.
✅I pledge my loyalty to our project leader.
💡'fealty' is almost never used in modern team or project contexts; it belongs to medieval settings.