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steadfastness

nounC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #13,360 of 15,258leans written

Steadfastness is unwavering firmness of purpose. His steadfastness, praised for her steadfastness, steadfastness under pressure.

It is admiring and rather grave, and it belongs to loyalty tested over time. The Old English is stead plus fast, meaning fixed in place, which is the whole image.

Definitions of steadfastness

  1. 1nounsteadfastnessUnwavering firmness of purpose.C1

    “Her steadfastness during her husband's long illness impressed everyone who knew her.”

steadfastness is a firmness.

Where it comes from

Old English stedefaestnes is stede, a place, plus faest, fixed.

  1. Old English

    stedefæstnes — steadfastness

  2. Middle English

    stedfastnesse

  3. English, today

    steadfastness

From Middle English stedfastnesse, stedefastnesse, from Old English stedefæstnes (“steadfastness”), equivalent to steadfast + -ness.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

steadfastness in the wild

  • An early account of Agnes, stressing her young age, steadfastness and virginity was written by the 4th-century theologian, St Ambrose.

    Agnes of Rome

  • The series highlights the severe human rights abuses he endured and pays tribute to his resilience and steadfastness.

    Sipahi Maqbool Hussain

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

  • steadfast