Loyalist
//ˈlɔɪəlɪst// name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 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."
- 2 A person from the 13 Colonies (of British North America from the eastern seaboard of mainland North America) who was in favor of remaining in the British Empire during the American Revolution. Canada, US, historical
- 3 a person who is loyal to their allegiance (especially in times of revolt) wordnet
- 4 Abbreviation of United Empire Loyalist. Canada, US, abbreviation, alt-of, historical
- 5 A supporter of keeping Northern Ireland under British rule instead of unification with Ireland, usually from a Protestant background. Ireland, UK
Proper Noun
- 1 A township municipality in Lennox and Addington County, Ontario, Canada.
Example
More examples"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."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From loyal + -ist. Piecewise doublet of legalist.
Etymology 2
Capitalization of loyalist.
Etymology 3
Named after the United Empire Loyalists.
Related phrases
More for "loyalist"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.