pious

[pahy-uhs]

adjective

1. having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations.

   Synonyms: reverent, godly, devout

2. characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion; sanctimonious.

3. practiced or used in the name of real or pretended religious motives, or for some ostensibly good object; falsely earnest or sincere.

   a pious deception.

4. of or relating to religious devotion; sacred rather than secular.

   pious literature.

5. having or showing appropriate respect or regard for parents or others.

pious

/ ˈpaɪəs /

adjective

1. having or expressing reverence for a god or gods; religious; devout

2. marked by reverence

3. marked by false reverence; sanctimonious

4. sacred; not secular

5. archaic,  having or expressing devotion for one's parents or others

Other Word Forms

• piously adverb
• piousness noun
• prepious adjective
• prepiously adverb
• pseudopious adjective
• pseudopiously adverb
• quasi-pious adjective
• quasi-piously adverb
• semipious adjective
• semipiously adverb
• semipiousness noun
• superpious adjective
• superpiously adverb
• superpiousness noun
• unpious adjective
• unpiously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of pious¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin pius, akin to piāre “to propitiate”

Word History and Origins

Origin of pious¹

C17: from Latin pius, related to piāre to expiate

Synonym Study

See religious.

Example Sentences

In Mumbai, the Jain community, which considers feeding pigeons a pious duty, has been vocal in their protests.

From BBC

Moyers’ preacher-like delivery and emphasis on high moral standards in his commentaries led some people to criticize him as being a pious scold.

From Los Angeles Times

Secularism permeates the nation’s liberal founding documents — the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights — even as the history of Saint-Gaudens’ statue of my pious ancestor demonstrates the idealistic tenacity of religious faith.

From Los Angeles Times

In a double whammy to the pious, the shoes were seen as both demonic and vain and were eventually banned from London.

From BBC

Al-Sharaa was referring to the fact that many Syrians, not just in the majority Sunni Muslim community, are pious.

From BBC

Related Words

• born-again 
• devout 
• righteous 
• saintly 
• sanctimonious