religiously
Americanadverb
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in a way that is related to or concerned with religion.
We believe matters of faith should be handled by religiously educated staff.
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faithfully, sincerely, and with pious devotion.
The tribe religiously observes the rite of ancestral veneration as an integral part of their cultural heritage.
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with scrupulous or conscientious regularity or diligence.
Initially I took composting very seriously; I made a perfectly square pair of bins for composting and turned my piles religiously.
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habitually or without fail.
Religiously, every Saturday night, I recorded my favorite comedy show on BBC Radio.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of religiously
Explanation
If you do something religiously, you can be relied on to do it on a regular basis. If you never forget to floss your teeth at night, no matter how tired you are, you can say you floss religiously. You might go to church religiously, every single Sunday, but an activity doesn't need to be religious for you to do it religiously. Religion is the key to this adverb's origin — it originally meant just "in a religious manner." But these days you can use it to describe any activity you're devoted to, whether it's religiously watching your favorite TV show or drinking a cup of tea religiously every afternoon.
Vocabulary lists containing religiously
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I remember there was one I followed religiously called ‘Quinceañera,’ starring Thalia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
These legislators were also more likely to be white, to have served in the military and to be religiously observant.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
He wears a mask religiously and doesn’t shake hands with customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
"I've never followed it religiously, but I dabbled in a little bit of weight training and I tried running, although I didn't like that very much," said Bill.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
I wasn’t raised very religiously because my parents went to Catholic school, but I do believe in God very much.
From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
