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

Derived Forms

• ˈpiously, adverb
• ˈpiousness, noun

Other Words From

• pious·ly adverb
• pious·ness noun
• pre·pious adjective
• pre·pious·ly adverb
• pseudo·pious adjective
• pseudo·pious·ly adverb
• quasi-pious adjective
• quasi-pious·ly adverb
• semi·pious adjective
• semi·pious·ly adverb
• semi·pious·ness noun
• super·pious adjective
• super·pious·ly adverb
• super·pious·ness noun
• un·pious adjective
• un·pious·ly 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

They also carry semi-automatic rifles like AR-15s and AK-47s, fashioning their guns like pious medieval knights would a sword.

From The Daily Beast

West also coaxes pious verses out of colleagues, including Jay Electronica, Jadakiss, and Roddy Ricch.

From Time

After the past year, moms know for a fact that we’re all vulnerable and that our behaviors are shaped not just by our personal choices and pious parenting philosophies, but also by forces well beyond our individual control.

From Time

The future president adored his pious mother, who encouraged his early stage performances.

From Washington Post

They were beautiful, light-skinned, polite and pious Christians — just the sort of formerly enslaved they liked to showcase in anti-slavery events.

From Washington Post

Yet for a pious Muslim believer, the experience of those states was bad to the point of being catastrophic.

From The Daily Beast

There was lot of promiscuity in my family, but everyone was pretending that they were pious and perfect.

From The Daily Beast

And then, using the language of the pious against them, he declares, “We know that God is on our side.”

From The Daily Beast

Ironically, the old religious view made room for a not particularly pious variety of macho “justice”-seeking.

From The Daily Beast

I had dated non-Jews before, but none went so far as to decorate their home with such blatantly pious trinkets.

From The Daily Beast

He was learned, benevolent and pious, and author of several religious works.

From Project Gutenberg

It is by my order that the Turks are being left a free hand to carry out this pious duty.

From Project Gutenberg

The minister of his village is at his bedside, preparing him by pious exhortations for the great journey.

From Project Gutenberg

In all cases there is a stairway, often long and steep, crumbling with time and worn with the feet of pious generations.

From Project Gutenberg

If he takes a pious subject, it is to show you in what a fine way he, Peter Paul Rubens, can treat it.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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