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.
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Origin of pious
1595–1605; < Latin pius, akin to piāre to propitiate
OTHER WORDS FROM pious
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for piously
British Dictionary definitions for piously
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
Derived forms of pious
piously, adverbpiousness, nounWord Origin for pious
C17: from Latin pius, related to piāre to expiate
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