Fidelity
/fɪˈdɛləti/
nounB2
Definition
Fidelity is the quality of being loyal and true. It means you keep your promises and do not betray someone or something. People often use fidelity to talk about trust in love, marriage, or in keeping true to facts or rules.
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See It in Action
Loyalty and faithfulness in personal relationships
- •The couple showed great fidelity to each other during many years of marriage.
- •Fidelity is important in friendships as well as romantic relationships.
- •Soldiers are expected to have fidelity to their country.
Accuracy or faithfulness to facts, rules, or original form
- •The audio recording has high fidelity, so the sound is very clear and true to the original.
- •The artist’s painting shows fidelity to the real landscape.
- •Scientists need fidelity in their data to trust the results.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "fidelity" like "loyalty" (A2 word), but with a strong idea of truth and faithfulness over time
- ✓Picture a dog that always stays by its owner’s side, never leaving or forgetting them
- ✓It's the feeling when you trust someone to always be honest and stand by you, no matter what
- ✓Sounds like "fid-DEL-i-ty" → imagine a "FID" (like a small ID card) that proves you are true and faithful
- ✓In stories, heroes often show fidelity by keeping their promises or standing by friends in hard times
- ✓NOT like "like" (simple feeling), fidelity is about deep, serious commitment and trust
- ✓NOT like "trust" alone, fidelity includes loyalty and faithfulness over time, not just belief
- ✓NOT like "cheating" or "betrayal," which are the opposite of fidelity
Try Other Words
- •Faithfulness: being true and loyal (Use when focusing on personal or emotional loyalty)
- •Accuracy: being exact or correct (Use when talking about truthfulness to facts or details)
- •Loyalty: strong support or faithfulness (Use in general for relationships or groups)
- •Trustworthiness: ability to be trusted (Use when emphasizing reliability and honesty)
Unboxing
- •Prefix/root/suffix: "fid-" (from Latin "fides" meaning faith or trust) + "-elity" (a suffix forming nouns meaning quality or state)
- •Etymology: From Latin "fidelitas," meaning faithfulness or trust
- •Historical development: Used in English since the 15th century to mean faithfulness or loyalty, especially in marriage and promises
- •Modern usage: Common in talking about relationships, honesty, and also in technical fields like "high fidelity" audio meaning very accurate sound reproduction
Reflect & Connect
•How do you show fidelity in your friendships or family relationships?
•Can fidelity exist without trust, or are they always connected? How?
Fill in the blanks
1.Fidelity in a relationship means you ___ your promises and are always true to your partner.
2.A high-fidelity audio system plays music with ___ to the original sound.
3.Soldiers are expected to show fidelity ___ their country, no matter the situation.
4.Unlike simple liking, fidelity shows a deep ___ and trust over time.
5.If someone breaks their fidelity, it usually causes ___ and hurt feelings.
6.The artist painted with fidelity to the real scene, so the picture looked very ___.
7.Fidelity is more than trust; it includes being ___ and loyal in actions and words.