piety

[ pahy-i-tee ]

noun

, plural pi·e·ties.

1. reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations:

   a prayer full of piety.

   Synonyms: awe, veneration, respect

2. the quality or state of being pious:

   saintly piety.

   Synonyms: devoutness, godliness, holiness, sanctity, devotion

3. dutiful respect or regard for parents, homeland, etc.:

   filial piety.

4. a pious act, remark, belief, or the like:

   the pieties and sacrifices of an austere life.

piety

/ ˈpaɪɪtɪ /

noun

1. dutiful devotion to God and observance of religious principles
2. the quality or characteristic of being pious
3. a pious action, saying, etc
4. rare.
   devotion and obedience to parents or superiors

Other Words From

• super·pie·ty noun plural superpieties
• un·pie·ty noun plural unpieties

Word History and Origins

Origin of piety¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English piete, from Middle French, from Latin pietās, equivalent to pi(us) + -etās, variant (after i ) of -itās; pious, -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of piety¹

C13 piete, from Old French, from Latin pietās piety, dutifulness, from pius pious

Example Sentences

Brahmapuri - which roughly translates to "the town of Brahmins" in Sanskrit - was built as a colony of upper-caste families who adopted the colour blue as a symbol of their sociocultural piety in the Hindu caste system.

From BBC

Because even as GameStop’s share price has steadily declined since the 2021 spike, its most fanatic subcultures curdled into piety, conspiracism, and irrationality.

From Slate

The designers include Ese Chico, known for its irreverent graphic T-shirts and slogan: “Locura sin piedad,” or “madness without piety” — Herrera included it in her “A Través de la Moda” exhibition when she brought it to L.A. earlier this year.

From Los Angeles Times

Moral discipline, humble virtue and indeed, a trust resting solely on the “inner beard” need not have applied only to priests and monks, but also to kings like Louis IX of France, whose piety, temperance, justice and zeal against heathens and heretics earned him the distinction of sainthood.

From Salon

It's certainly whiplash-inducing to be here, where attendees swing wildly between showy displays of Christian piety and vulgar and even threatening language toward fellow Americans who disagree with them politically.

From Salon

Related Words

• fervor
• loyalty
• religiosity
• reverence
• zeal