Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Loyalty or the obligation of loyalty, as to a nation, sovereign, or cause. See Synonyms at fidelity.
- n. The obligations of a vassal to a lord.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The tie or obligation of a subject or citizen to his sovereign or government; the duty of fidelity to a king, government, or state. Every citizen owes allegiance to the government under which he is born. Natural or implied allegiance is that obligation which one owes to the nation of which he is a natural-born citizen or subject so long as he remains such, and it does not arise from any express promise. Express allegiance is that obligation which proceeds from an express promise or oath of fidelity. Local or temporary allegiance is due from an alien to the government or state under or in which he resides. In the United States the paramount allegiance of a citizen has been decided to be due to the general government, and not to the government of the particular State in which he is domiciled.
- n. Hence Observance of obligation in general; fidelity to any person or thing; devotion.
- n. Synonyms Allegiance, Loyalty, Fealty. Allegiance is the most formal and official of these words; it is a matter of principle, and applies especially to conduct; the oath of allegiance covers conduct only.
- n. Loyalty is a matter of both principle and sentiment, conduct and feeling; it implies enthusiasm and devotion, and hence is most frequently chosen for figurative uses: as, loyalty to a lover, husband, family, clan, friends, old traditions, religion. Neither allegiance nor loyalty is confined to its original meaning of the obligation due from a subject to a prince.
- n. Fealty has escaped less completely from this earliest sense, but has a permissible use in the sense of fidelity under obligation of various kinds.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The tie or obligation, implied or expressed, which a subject owes to his sovereign or government; the duty of fidelity to one's king, government, or state.
- n. Devotion; loyalty.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action
- n. the loyalty that citizens owe to their country (or subjects to their sovereign)
Etymologies
- Middle English alligeaunce, alteration of ligeaunce, from Old French ligeance, from lige, liege; see liege.
Examples
“[Sidenote: The Commons strictly confine their ideas of a revolution to necessity alone and self-defence.] [Sidenote A: N.B. The remark implies, that allegiance would be insecure without this restriction.] "Your Lordships were acquainted, in opening the charge, with how _great caution_, and with what unfeigned regard to her Majesty and her government, and to the _duty and allegiance_ of her subjects, the”
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 04 (of 12)
“The politician, small or lofty, who menaces the people with frequent reminders of the possibility of crime, violence, or terrorism, and who then uses their magnified fear to gain allegiance is more likely to be a successful con artist than a legitimate leader.”
“It came to her very certainly that her father had realized he had not strength to make what he called his allegiance to God, and that at the last he had sought the momentary strength of the whisky that he knew would shatter his glass heart.”
“His allegiance is primarily to Israel, and then America if its convenient.”
“It was Kirchner who did the hard work of managing relationships with labor unions, activist groups, governors and mayors – the political players who move thousands of voters and whose allegiance is vital to maintaining public order.”
The Huffington Post: Nestor Kirchner DEAD: Ex-Argentine President Dies Of Heart Attacks In Calafate
“Idont understand why prayer or the pledge of allegiance is ridiculed in our shcools?”
“Their real allegiance is not to any country, but to mammon.”
“Liz Cheney/Bill Kristol & Co. trolls and Fox viewers all hate America and what it stands for: justice for all in the pledge of allegiance is apparently an empty phrase to them.”
Think Progress » Mukasey calls Liz Cheney’s ‘Al-Qaeda 7′ ad ‘shoddy and dangerous.’
“But Childress 'allegiance is to the Vikings - not to Favre's personal achievements.”
“I do worry about putting too much of our regulatory authority in the hands of people whose primary allegiance is to friends on Wall Street rather than to the public interest.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘allegiance’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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common UA vocab. in US
Interesting, there is a traditional vocabulary of an Ukrainian, that differs from vocabulary of average American. It would be nice to explore it.
jackdaw, incongruous, cassock, vivid, magpie, humdrum, amongst, wonder, wandering, wheedling, wheedle, osseous and 368 more...
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