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
Related Words
See religious.
Other Word Forms
- devoutly adverb
- devoutness noun
- nondevout adjective
- nondevoutly adverb
- nondevoutness noun
- undevout adjective
- undevoutly adverb
- undevoutness noun
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”; 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
I Am Malala
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The Things They Carried
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The Alchemist
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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.
Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said that Iran's government was leaning on its most devout supporters.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
While OpenAI pulled ahead with consumers, Anthropic’s Claude tool developed a devout following among coders.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026
The laid-back, devout Christian was reliably referred to as "our leader" by even his older Patriots teammates in several interviews this week.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
Avengers: Doomsday, where he'll make his full debut, will show whether the superhero universe can still attract more casual cinemagoers alongside devout fans.
From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026
He was a devout Christian, comfortable with telling people that he had been saved.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
