God-fearing
Americanadjective
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deeply respectful or fearful of God.
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(sometimes lowercase) deeply religious; pious; devout.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of God-fearing
First recorded in 1825–35
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.
Bare, 54 years old, is God-fearing and transgressive, often in the same breath, with domestic trouble in her past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“He is God-fearing, extremely passionate about soccer, and a mentor to his little brothers. He was just a friend that his friends could rely on.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2025
The story follows Dawn O’Keefe, a God-fearing good girl — surrounded by shame-lobbing, not-so-good men — whose body has a sharp sense of justice.
From New York Times ● Mar. 27, 2024
Why would a purportedly churchgoing, God-fearing Texas patriot pray for the violent destruction of such American landmarks?
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2023
This ‘King’ you’re asking about, I hear many people—those that went to school and can read newspapers— say that he was a God-fearing man who died fighting to set his people free.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
