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

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

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There was a confessional vibe at times to the conversation, borne of a fear the left can exude a piety and loftiness off-putting to many.

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“From his hair, to his sputter, to his strut, Penn makes a clown show out of hypocritical ultraconservative piety,” says Amy Nicholson.

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Public service wasn’t about party pieties, Jim said, but rather “finding a solution to a problem.”

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Take the title’s smirk at the idea of piety, and the way the script implicitly questions the legitimacy of that label.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• fervor 
• loyalty 
• religiosity 
• reverence 
• zeal