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faithfully

/ˈfeɪθfəli/
/ˈfeɪθfəli/
IPA guide

To act faithfully is to behave in a dependable and honorable way. A dog who waits faithfully outside your school until you get out of class is devoted and trustworthy.

The adverb faithfully describes an action or behavior that's faithful — in other words, it's steadfast, loyal and reliable. An actor's parents might faithfully attend every play he's in, no matter how small his role is. Your devout uncle might faithfully attend church every single Sunday. In both examples, a person is dependable. The earliest meaning of faithfully was "acting in a way full of (religious) faith," or being pious, especially as a Christian.

Definitions of faithfully
  1. adverb
    in a faithful manner
    “it always came on, faithfully, like the radio”
    synonyms: dependably, reliably
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    unfaithfully
    in an unfaithful undependable unreliable manner
Pronunciation
US
/ˈfeɪθfəli/
UK
/ˈfeɪθfəli/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘faithfully'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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