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View synonyms for pious

pious

[ pahy-uhs ]

adjective

  1. having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations.

    Synonyms: reverent, godly, devout

  2. characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion; sanctimonious.
  3. 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.

  4. of or relating to religious devotion; sacred rather than secular:

    pious literature.

  5. having or showing appropriate respect or regard for parents or others.


pious

/ ˈpaɪəs /

adjective

  1. having or expressing reverence for a god or gods; religious; devout
  2. marked by reverence
  3. marked by false reverence; sanctimonious
  4. sacred; not secular
  5. archaic.
    having or expressing devotion for one's parents or others
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˈpiously, adverb
  • ˈpiousness, noun
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Other Words From

  • pious·ly adverb
  • pious·ness noun
  • pre·pious adjective
  • pre·pious·ly adverb
  • pseudo·pious adjective
  • pseudo·pious·ly adverb
  • quasi-pious adjective
  • quasi-pious·ly adverb
  • semi·pious adjective
  • semi·pious·ly adverb
  • semi·pious·ness noun
  • super·pious adjective
  • super·pious·ly adverb
  • super·pious·ness noun
  • un·pious adjective
  • un·pious·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pious1

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin pius, akin to piāre “to propitiate”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pious1

C17: from Latin pius, related to piāre to expiate
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Synonym Study

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Example Sentences

They also carry semi-automatic rifles like AR-15s and AK-47s, fashioning their guns like pious medieval knights would a sword.

West also coaxes pious verses out of colleagues, including Jay Electronica, Jadakiss, and Roddy Ricch.

From Time

After the past year, moms know for a fact that we’re all vulnerable and that our behaviors are shaped not just by our personal choices and pious parenting philosophies, but also by forces well beyond our individual control.

From Time

The future president adored his pious mother, who encouraged his early stage performances.

They were beautiful, light-skinned, polite and pious Christians — just the sort of formerly enslaved they liked to showcase in anti-slavery events.

Yet for a pious Muslim believer, the experience of those states was bad to the point of being catastrophic.

There was lot of promiscuity in my family, but everyone was pretending that they were pious and perfect.

And then, using the language of the pious against them, he declares, “We know that God is on our side.”

Ironically, the old religious view made room for a not particularly pious variety of macho “justice”-seeking.

I had dated non-Jews before, but none went so far as to decorate their home with such blatantly pious trinkets.

He was learned, benevolent and pious, and author of several religious works.

It is by my order that the Turks are being left a free hand to carry out this pious duty.

The minister of his village is at his bedside, preparing him by pious exhortations for the great journey.

In all cases there is a stairway, often long and steep, crumbling with time and worn with the feet of pious generations.

If he takes a pious subject, it is to show you in what a fine way he, Peter Paul Rubens, can treat it.

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piosityPiozzi