piety

American  

[pahy-i-tee] / ˈpaɪ ɪ ti /

noun

plural

pieties

1. reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations.

   a prayer full of piety.

   Synonyms:

   awe, veneration, respect

2. the quality or state of being pious.

   saintly piety.

   Synonyms:

   holiness, sanctity, devoutness, devotion, godliness

3. dutiful respect or regard for parents, homeland, etc..

   filial piety.

4. a pious act, remark, belief, or the like.

   the pieties and sacrifices of an austere life.

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piety British  

/ ˈpaɪɪtɪ /

noun

1. dutiful devotion to God and observance of religious principles

2. the quality or characteristic of being pious

3. a pious action, saying, etc

4. rare devotion and obedience to parents or superiors

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Other Word Forms

• superpiety noun
• unpiety noun

Etymology

Origin of piety

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English piete, from Middle French, from Latin pietās, equivalent to pi(us) + -etās, variant (after i ) of -itās; pious, -ity

Example Sentences

Headstrong, queer and disinterested in Victorian pieties, she escaped her smothering Indianapolis family and headed to Chicago, where she hustled work as a bookseller and book reviewer.

From Los Angeles Times

Much of the public wanted a different take on war - and one that challenged solemn pieties at the heart of Official Remembrance.

From BBC

I marveled at how those marks of piety remained, just an hour away from the Rooms hotel’s sleek pool deck.

From The Wall Street Journal

To embody the idea of filial piety to appeal to the Grand Queen Dowager, Yeon creates doenjang-guk, a traditional soybean paste stew, but adds two special ingredients: spinach and clams.

From Salon

“Punch” could easily have become a bog of pieties and earnest, uplifting lessons about the necessity of forgiveness.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fervor
• loyalty
• religiosity
• reverence
• zeal