loyalist
Syllables: loy·al·ist/ˈlɔɪəlɪst/
loyalist noun: a person who is loyal to a cause, generally used as a political affiliation. Also the alternative letter-case form of Loyalist.
Noun (1)
loyalist (plural loyalists)
- A person who is loyal to a cause, generally used as a political affiliation.
- Most estimates place one-third of Americans as loyalist, one-third on the fence, to be swayed by whomever was winning, and one-third rebel.1999, Harry M. Ward, The War for Independence and the Transformation of American Society, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 35
- Cobble Hill’s “first hipster bar” sports a “funky living room-ish setting” with “interesting” artwork on the walls and a “low-key” vibe in the air; a “cool” back garden and occasional “dorktastic trivia” contests lead loyalists to label it “one of the best on Atlantic” Avenue.2008, Curt Gathje, editor, New York City Nightlife 2008/09, New York, N.Y.: Zagat Survey, →ISBN, page 122
Noun (2) capitalized: Loyalist
Loyalist (plural Loyalists)
- A person from the 13 Colonies on the eastern seaboard of North America who remained loyal to the British Empire during the American Revolution.
- Synonyms:
- Tory, Royalist, United Empire Loyalist
- Short for United Empire Loyalist, such colonists who migrated to Canada.
- A person who supports Northern Ireland remaining loyal to the United Kingdom instead of eventually uniting with the Republic of Ireland, especially one who accepts or advocates violence for the cause.
- Antonyms:
- Republican
Proper noun capitalized: Loyalist
Loyalist
Also used as
loyalist is also the alternative letter-case form of Loyalist.
Examples of loyalist in a sentence
- In this sense, a new loyalist aesthetic can also be perceived in simplistic works such as anticommunist literature and melancholic works such as nostalgic fiction and prose.2013, Shu-mei Shih, Sinophone Studies: A Critical Reader, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 101:
- An obvious characteristic of a kakistocrat is inserting unqualified loyalists into positions of power.2024 November 17, Howie Klein, “A Plurality Of American Voters Have Embraced Kakistocracy As Their Preferred Form Of Governance”, in...
Synonyms of loyalist
Antonyms
Forms of loyalist
| plural | loyalists |
|---|---|
| plural | Loyalists |
Origin of loyalist
From loyal + -ist. Piecewise doublet of legalist.
Capitalization of loyalist, q.v. As a Canadian settlement, in particular reference to the United Empire Loyalists.
Words formed from loyalist
Phrases with loyalist
Questions about loyalist
- What does loyalist mean?
- Loyalist means a person who is loyal to a cause, generally used as a political affiliation.
- How do you use loyalist in a sentence?
- In this sense, a new loyalist aesthetic can also be perceived in simplistic works such as anticommunist literature and melancholic works such as nostalgic fiction and prose.
- What part of speech is loyalist?
- Loyalist can be a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce loyalist?
- Loyalist is pronounced /ˈlɔɪəlɪst/.
- What is the plural of loyalist?
- The plural of loyalist is loyalists.
Words near loyalist in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: loyalist (page history and authors); Loyalist (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-loyalist.wav.
Cite this entry: “loyalist.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/loyalist. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.