pious
[ pahy-uhs ]
/ ˈpaɪ əs /
adjective
having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations.
characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion; sanctimonious.
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.
of or relating to religious devotion; sacred rather than secular: pious literature.
having or showing appropriate respect or regard for parents or others.
Origin of pious
1595–1605; < Latin
pius, akin to
piāre to propitiate
SYNONYMS FOR pious
OTHER WORDS FROM pious
Words nearby pious
Example sentences from the Web for piousness
The “piousness” of the products themselves comes down to packaging and presentation.
There ain't no piousness stickin' out on him fer folks to hang their hat on, neither.
The Gold Girl |James B. HendryxThis is Portuguese allover—indolence, piousness, poverty, impotence.
Following the Equator, Complete |Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
British Dictionary definitions for piousness
pious
/ (ˈpaɪəs) /
adjective
having or expressing reverence for a god or gods; religious; devout
marked by reverence
marked by false reverence; sanctimonious
sacred; not secular
archaic
having or expressing devotion for one's parents or others
Derived forms of pious
piously, adverb piousness, nounWord Origin for pious
C17: from Latin
pius, related to
piāre to expiate