The Adverb of Faithful: Faithfully
The adverb of faithful is faithfully.
How faithfully is formed
The adjective ends in l, so adding -ly produces two: faithful + ly = faithfully.
Every -ful adjective works this way: careful → carefully, beautiful → beautifully, hopeful → hopefully. The adjective itself has one l; the adverb always has two.
Faithfully in a sentence
| The translation follows the original faithfully. | Accurately – the commonest modern sense. |
| He served the company faithfully for thirty years. | Loyally. |
| The film reproduces the book faithfully. | Without altering it. |
Where it is actually used
Knowing the form is one thing; knowing the company a word keeps is what makes it sound natural. These are the patterns faithfully appears in most often.
| faithfully reproduced / translated / recorded | About accuracy. This now outweighs the loyalty sense. |
| served / followed faithfully | The older sense of loyalty. |
| Yours faithfully | A letter close with a rule of its own – see below. |
Faithfully or something else?
Several adverbs sit close to faithfully, and the difference is usually meaning rather than formality.
| accurately | Neutral and technical. Faithfully suggests respect for the original, not just correctness. |
| loyally | Only about allegiance to a person or cause, never about copying. |
| scrupulously | About care taken, often with an ethical edge. |
The mistake to watch for
| Incorrect | Correct |
| faithfuly | faithfully |
One l belongs to faithful and one to -ly. The same slip produces carefuly and beautifuly.
Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely? The British convention is settled: Yours faithfully when the letter opened without a name (Dear Sir or Madam), and Yours sincerely when it opened with one (Dear Ms Rahman). American letters generally use Sincerely for both.
Related forms
Pronunciation: FAITH-full-ee, three syllables.
| Adjective | faithful |
| Adverb | faithfully |
| Noun | faith / faithfulness |
| Opposite | unfaithfully |
Practice
Fill the gap, then check yourself.
- The subtitles follow the dialogue ___.
- The letter began “Dear Sir” and closed “Yours ___”.
- The measurements were recorded ___ to three decimal places.
Answers: 1. faithfully 2. faithfully 3. accurately
Frequently asked
Does faithfully still mean loyally?
It can, but the accuracy sense now dominates. Faithfully translated is far more frequent than faithfully served in modern writing.
