devout
Americanadjective
-
devoted to divine worship or service; pious; religious.
a devout Catholic.
- Antonyms:
- irreverent
-
expressing devotion or piety.
devout prayer.
-
earnest or sincere; hearty.
He had a devout allegiance to the political regime.
adjective
-
deeply religious; reverent
-
sincere; earnest; heartfelt
a devout confession
Synonym Usage
See religious.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of devout
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French devo(u)t, from Late Latin dēvotus, Latin: “devoted”; see devote
Explanation
To be devout is to be deeply devoted to one's religion or to another belief, cause, or way of life. If you're reading this, you're probably a devout believer in improving your vocabulary. Devout is often used to describe religious individuals, but this word also pops up in the context of sports fans — a fact that may shed some light on the role of sports in today's society. However, while it's usually acceptable for a devout individual to miss work for religious holidays, devout sports fans have a tougher time convincing their boss to let them off for the big game.
Vocabulary lists containing devout
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The devout crowd — is there any other kind of Rush fan? — certainly was.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
The author rescues her from near-historical oblivion, portraying a woman of intense piety, “even more devout than her mother-in-law.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
It's also not yet clear if any lucky fans will get an invite, a theory perhaps wrapped in wishful thinking that cropped up due to Swift inviting devout fans to her home in the past.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
A devout Catholic, it was there that she gave my dad her most precious gift: her own mom’s rosary beads.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
So many of the engineers were Northerners, relatively agnostic on the racial issue but devout when it came to mathematical talent.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
The devouter portion of the people still pray, and on the whole, live sober, righteous and godly lives; but multitudes are discouraged, and take themselves away.
From Modern Skepticism: A Journey Through the Land of Doubt and Back Again A Life Story by Barker, Joseph
Mrs. Orr, devouter votary than I, explains that Browning meant "that everything which disturbs the equal balance of human life gives a vital impulse to the soul."
From Browning's Heroines by Armfield, Maxwell
After which he procured them food and medicines, which he begged from the devouter sort, and himself attended them both day and night.
From The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 16 by Scott, Walter, Sir
Instead of contemning the idea of a heavenly futurity as an idle dream image of human longing, it were both devouter and more reasonable, from 22 Charakteristiken und Kritiken, s.
From The Destiny of the Soul A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life by Alger, William Rounseville
He finds them the same men, although with better and devouter hearts, as we are at this day.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 01, No. 02, December, 1857 by Various
And so it has been with thousands and thousands more of the devoutest and sincerest souls.
From Love's Final Victory by Horatio
—No, no, I durst not— But as devoutest Pilgrims do the Shrine.
From The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume III by Summers, Montague
The devoutest believers in "the march of intellect" must at intervals be almost driven to renounce their creed in despair.
From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 20, No. 564, September 1, 1832 by Various
The barbarians have been the devoutest worshippers at all times.
From Emerson and Other Essays by Chapman, John Jay
It is a scathing comment on the influence of skepticism upon a people that, in general, the highest feeling of nationality is coexistent with the devoutest piety.
From History of Rationalism Embracing a Survey of the Present State of Protestant Theology by Hurst, J. F. (John Fletcher)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
