religious

American  

[ri-lij-uhs] / rɪˈlɪdʒ əs /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or concerned with religion.

   a religious holiday.

2. imbued with or exhibiting religion; pious; devout; godly.

   a religious man.

   Synonyms:

   reverent

   Antonyms:

   impious

3. scrupulously faithful; conscientious.

   religious care.

   Synonyms:

   rigorous, meticulous, strict, scrupulous

4. pertaining to or connected with a monastic or religious order.

5. appropriate to religion or to sacred rites or observances.

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noun

religious plural

1. a member of a religious order, congregation, etc.; a monk, friar, or nun.

2. the religious, devout or religious persons.

   Each year, thousands of the religious make pilgrimages to the shrine.

religious British  

/ rɪˈlɪdʒəs /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or concerned with religion

2. 1. pious; devout; godly

   2. ( as collective noun ; preceded by the )

      the religious

3. appropriate to or in accordance with the principles of a religion

4. scrupulous, exact, or conscientious

5. Christianity of or relating to a way of life dedicated to religion by the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and defined by a monastic rule

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noun

1. Christianity a member of an order or congregation living by such a rule; a monk, friar, or nun

Synonym Usage

Religious, devout, pious indicate a spirit of reverence toward God. Religious is a general word, applying to whatever pertains to faith or worship: a religious ceremony. Devout indicates a fervent spirit, usually genuine and often independent of outward observances: a deeply devout though unorthodox church member. Pious implies constant attention to, and extreme conformity with, outward observances. It can also suggest sham or hypocrisy: a pious hypocrite.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonreligiousness
  noun
• religiousness
  noun
• ultrareligiousness
  noun
• antireligious
  adjective
• nonreligious
  adjective
• overreligious
  adjective
• prereligious
  adjective
• pseudoreligious
  adjective
• quasi-religious
  adjective
• ultrareligious
  adjective
• religiously
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• religious
  plural

Etymology

Origin of religious

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English (from Old French ), from Latin religiōsus, equivalent to religi(ō) religion + -ōsus -ous

Explanation

Religious, besides meaning "having to do with religion," can also mean "acting as if something is a religion." If you have never missed a broadcast of your favorite TV show for the last five years, then you're religious about it. Just as religion is a broad concept with multiple manifestations, the word religious can be used in many contexts. You could literally be describing someone's particular religious duties as prescribed by his religion. If you have a religious temperament, you think about spiritual things a lot. If someone is a fanatic about football, you could describe him as a religious fan. That doesn't mean he thinks the football is God, just that he really, really cares.

Example Sentences

Thus was born the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty—which Viet Dinh, a former assistant attorney general, calls “God’s ACLU.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026

He later sued, alleging a violation of his free exercise rights under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, a landmark federal law.

From Slate • Jun. 23, 2026

Congress in 2000 adopted the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act to protect religious liberty.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

Religious tourism also constitutes a significant source of revenue for Iraq's non-oil economy.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

And then he assigned us fifty pages of reading for the next day—from a book called Religious Studies.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Related Words

• doctrinal
• holy
• sacred
• sectarian
• theological