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View synonyms for religious

religious

[ ri-lij-uhs ]

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.


noun

, plural re·li·gious.
  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

/ rɪˈlɪdʒəs /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or concerned with religion
    1. pious; devout; godly
    2. ( as collective noun ; preceded by the )

      the religious

  2. appropriate to or in accordance with the principles of a religion
  3. scrupulous, exact, or conscientious
  4. 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
“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


noun

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

  • reˈligiousness, noun
  • reˈligiously, adverb
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Other Words From

  • re·li·gious·ly adverb
  • re·li·gious·ness noun
  • an·ti·re·li·gious adjective
  • non·re·li·gious adjective
  • non·re·li·gious·ness noun
  • o·ver·re·li·gious adjective
  • pre·re·li·gious adjective
  • pseu·do·re·li·gious adjective
  • qua·si-re·li·gious adjective
  • ul·tra·re·li·gious adjective
  • ul·tra·re·li·gious·ness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of religious1

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

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.
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Example Sentences

If you’re a religious leader, you can give a sermon about climate and run a collection drive to support one of the groups above.

From Vox

Right now, voters with no religious affiliation look like they might back Biden in record numbers.

During that meeting, McCoy called for another meeting with religious leaders, and agreed to talk more about the particular needs in their communities.

There are few things in India that enjoy religious and cultural sanctions as much as the use of cannabis does.

From Quartz

Now the fringe religious group Israelites of the New Universal Pact, mostly unknown outside Peru, holds 15 seats in a fractured national legislature after 2019’s elections, making it the country’s third largest party.

From Ozy

In 2009, a Pakistani Christian woman got into a religious argument with some Muslim women with whom she was harvesting berries.

The gentleman was listed as Orthodox and kosher, which is way too religious for my friend whose JSwipe account I was test-driving.

It is the kind of compassion espoused by every world religion and every revered religious leader.

But the last national figure to wield ancient personal authority in an explicitly religious way was Robert F. Kennedy.

In my search for answers about who I was, I pored over religious texts in search of enlightenment.

On the thirteenth of the same month they bound to the stake, in order to burn alive, a man who had two religious in his house.

We shall recover again some or all of the steadfastness and dignity of the old religious life.

But you will find most colleges and most college societies bar religious instruction and discussion.

Hence arise factions, dissensions, and loss to their religious interests and work; and these intruders seek to rule the others.

So much for the attitude of the various schools of religious thought towards the Bible.

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religiosityreligious house