pious
[ pahy-uhs ]
/ ˈpaɪ əs /
adjective
having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations.
characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion; sanctimonious.
practiced or used in the name of real or pretended religious motives, or for some ostensibly good object; falsely earnest or sincere: a pious deception.
of or relating to religious devotion; sacred rather than secular: pious literature.
having or showing appropriate respect or regard for parents or others.
RELATED WORDS
saintly, righteous, devout, sanctimonious, born-again, clerical, devoted, divine, ecclesiastical, godly, goody-goody, orthodox, reverent, sacred, spiritual, prayerful, priestly
Nearby words
Origin of pious
1595–1605; < Latin pius, akin to piāre to propitiate
SYNONYMS FOR pious
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pious
pious
/ (ˈpaɪəs) /
adjective
having or expressing reverence for a god or gods; religious; devout
marked by reverence
marked by false reverence; sanctimonious
sacred; not secular
archaic having or expressing devotion for one's parents or others
Word Origin for pious
C17: from Latin pius, related to piāre to expiate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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pious
mid-15c., from Latin pius "dutiful, devout, conscientious, religious; faithful to kindred; inspired by friendship, prompted by natural affections," perhaps [Klein] related to Latin purus "pure, clean" (see pure). Often coupled with fraud (n.) from at least 1630s. Related: Piously; piousness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper