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
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.
See Examples For:
He described her as "a devout Christian and somebody with strong socially conservative views. Perhaps not popular in modern Britain but that is what Ann believed in."
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
At first none of the characters is particularly devout.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Islam Makhachev, the current No. 1 pound-for-pound ranked fighter, is a devout Muslim from Dagestan.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
The devout crowd — is there any other kind of Rush fan? — certainly was.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Joey is a deeply devout Catholic, so she views her suffering through the lens of her faith.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
But I have no devouter superstition than that the souls of women who die in childbed and men who fall in battle go straight to Paradise!!!
From Juliana Horatia Ewing And Her Books by Eden, Horatia K. F.
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
Robinson Crusoe on his island could not have had a devouter thankfulness when he recovered the articles from the wreck than we had in the contemplation of our treasure.
From The Wayfarers by Snaith, J. C.
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
The stronger and devouter soul cannot conceive how the weaker had yielded.
From Expositions of Holy Scripture by Maclaren, Alexander
Even in the most stedfast and unwavering this intercourse is characterized by tidal movements of devoutest awe Sinking anon to farthest ebb of doubt.
From Some Christian Convictions A Practical Restatement in Terms of Present-Day Thinking by Coffin, Henry Sloane
—No, no, I durst not— But as devoutest Pilgrims do the Shrine.
From The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume III by Summers, Montague
In 1615 was born Richard Baxter, one of the purest and wisest and devoutest of men—and no mean poet either.
From England's Antiphon by MacDonald, George
It would be still possible even for the devoutest Wagnerian disciple to hear such a concert, perhaps, without leaving the hall in indignation, perhaps even without a protest.
From From the Easy Chair — Volume 01 by Curtis, George William
Never had I felt this scorching flame, I to whom love had appeared only in the form of devoutest worship.
From Letters of Two Brides by Balzac, Honoré de
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.
