impiety
Americannoun
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lack of piety; lack of reverence for God or sacred things; irreverence.
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lack of dutifulness or respect.
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an impious act, practice, etc.
noun
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lack of reverence or proper respect for a god
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any lack of proper respect
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an impious act
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impiety
1300–50; Middle English impietie < Latin impietās, equivalent to impi ( us ) impious + -etās, variant, after vowels, of -itās -ity
Explanation
Impiety is a disrespect for the sacred. For example, visitors are advised not to wear shorts or tank tops when touring certain churches and cathedrals in Europe, because doing so is viewed as impiety by those who worship there. English offers many options to describe disrespect. Impudence, insolence, sass, and irreverence are a few choices. Impiety sets itself apart from these in that it describes a lack of respect for a deity, like a god or God, or for worship itself. Piety is devotion or reverence, so impiety is a lack of devotion or reverence — such as making fun of other people's religious beliefs.
Vocabulary lists containing impiety
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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.
Impiety clears the soul of its consecrated errors, but does not fill the heart of man.
From History of the Girondists, Volume I Personal Memoirs of the Patriots of the French Revolution by Ryde, H. T.
Impiety seems to them an indiscretion; they consider religion as the cement of public order.
From The Ancient Regime by Durand, John
There is no Impiety, indeed, in this Sense; but it does not seem to me to be the genuine Sense of the Place.
From Colloquies of Erasmus, Volume I. by Erasmus, Desiderius
Why should we delight in the Intrepidity, tho' it was real, of a Villain in his Impiety?
From An Enquiry into the Causes of the Frequent Executions at Tyburn (1725) by Mandeville, Bernard
Modern triple charge against Henry of Falsehood, Hypocrisy, and Impiety.
From Henry of Monmouth, Volume 2 Memoirs of Henry the Fifth by Tyler, James Endell
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.
