What does "troth" mean?
An oath, pledge, plight, or promise.
Troth
/tɹəʊθ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An oath, pledge, plight, or promise.
- Grammar: troth is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: betrothal, engagement, adherence, adhesion.
- Useful contrasts: breach, deceit, disengagement.
- Usage evidence: The young couple broke a piece of gold together, and pledged their troth in the most solemn manner; and it is said the young lady imprecated dreadful evils on herself should she break her plighted faith.
How to use "troth"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "troth" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "troth" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "troth" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "troth" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "betrothal" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An oath, pledge, plight, or promise. archaic, countable
"By my troth I care not, a man can die but once, we owe God a death, [...]"
- 2 a solemn pledge of fidelity wordnet
- 3 An oath, pledge, plight, or promise.; A pledge or promise to marry someone. archaic, countable
"...I envy not the beast that takes His license in the field of time, Unfetter'd by the sense of crime, To whom a conscience never wakes; Nor, what may count itself as blest, The heart that never plighted troth But stagnates in the weeds of sloth;..."
- 4 a mutual promise to marry wordnet
- 5 An oath, pledge, plight, or promise.; The state of being thus pledged; betrothal, engagement. archaic, countable
"I did, therefore, what an honest man should; restored the maiden her troth, and departed the country, in the service of my king."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Truth; something true. archaic, countable, uncountable
"[John] Martiall, much like to Virgil's Sinon, (of whom he took a precedent, to make an artificial lie,) for three leaves together, in his preface, telleth undoubted trothes; to the end that the falsehoods, which, foolishly, (God wot,) he doth infer, may have the more credit."
Verb
- 1 To pledge to marry somebody. obsolete
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname transferred from the nickname.
Antonyms
Example
"The young couple broke a piece of gold together, and pledged their troth in the most solemn manner; and it is said the young lady imprecated dreadful evils on herself should she break her plighted faith."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "troth"?
Common synonyms include: betrothal, engagement, adherence, adhesion, affiance, allegiance.
How do you use "troth" in a sentence?
The young couple broke a piece of gold together, and pledged their troth in the most solemn manner; and it is said the young lady imprecated dreadful evils on herself should she break her plighted faith.
How do you pronounce "troth"?
Pronounced /tɹəʊθ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English troth, trothe, trouthe, trowthe, a variant of treuth, treuthe, treouthe (“allegiance, fidelity, faithfulness, loyalty; oath, pledge, promise; betrothal or marriage vow; betrothal; honour, integrity; holiness, righteousness; confidence, trust; creed, faith; fact, reality, truth”), from Old English trēowþ, trīewþ (“truth, veracity; faith, fidelity; covenant, pledge”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiþō (“contract; promise”), equivalent to true + -th (abstract nominal suffix). See more at truth.
Etymology 2
From troth, a nickname for someone who was inclined to take oaths.