piety

[pahy-i-tee]

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.

piety

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• superpiety noun
• unpiety noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of piety¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of piety¹

C13 piete, from Old French, from Latin pietās piety, dutifulness, from pius _pious

Example Sentences

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

Read more on BBC

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

Read more on 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.

Read more on Salon

Democrats will have to decide what they trust more: the judgment of last year’s voters or the self-serving pieties of Mr. Smith.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fervor 
• loyalty 
• religiosity 
• reverence 
• zeal