Steady faithfulness to a person, duty, promise, or partner, and by extension the accuracy with which a copy, signal, model, or translation preserves its source.
Closeness to an original, source, or intended effect, especially when a copy, recording, model, translation, or system preserves important details accurately.
Examples
The speakers reproduce live piano with impressive fidelity.
The translation sacrificed elegance for fidelity to the source text.
Engineers compared the model's fidelity with real flight data.
The scan preserved the painting's colors with remarkable fidelity.
A low-fidelity prototype was enough to test the workflow.
Similar words
accuracy
exactness
precision
faithfulness
correspondence
realism
verisimilitude
truthfulness
Etymology
From Middle English and Middle French fidelite, from Latin fidelitas, built on fidelis meaning faithful, loyal, or trustworthy.
FAQ
What does fidelity mean?
Fidelity means faithful loyalty to a person, duty, promise, or partner, or close accuracy to an original source.
Does fidelity mean loyalty?
Yes. In its loyalty sense, fidelity suggests steady faithfulness to a vow, duty, relationship, cause, or obligation.
What is marital fidelity?
Marital fidelity is faithfulness within a marriage, often meaning sexual exclusiveness and loyalty to the marriage vows.
What does fidelity mean in audio?
In audio, fidelity is the accuracy with which equipment or a recording reproduces the original sound.
Is fidelity the same as accuracy?
In copies, models, translations, and recordings, fidelity is a kind of accuracy, especially faithfulness to a source.
Can fidelity be used as a verb?
No. Fidelity is a noun, so use phrases such as preserve fidelity, ensure fidelity, or be faithful.
What is the opposite of fidelity?
For loyalty, the opposite of fidelity is infidelity, disloyalty, or betrayal. For accuracy, it is distortion or inaccuracy.
Where does fidelity come from?
Fidelity comes through French from Latin words connected with being faithful, loyal, trustworthy, and true.
Comments & contributions
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