pious

[pahy-uh s] /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 pertaining to religious devotion; sacred rather than secular:

pious literature.

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

Origin

1595-1605; < Latin pius, akin to piāre to propitiate

Related forms

piously, adverb

piousness, noun

prepious, adjective

prepiously, adverb

pseudopious, adjective

pseudopiously, adverb

quasi-pious, adjective

quasi-piously, adverb

semipious, adjective

semipiously, adverb

semipiousness, noun

superpious, adjective

superpiously, adverb

superpiousness, noun

unpious, adjective

unpiously, adverb

Synonyms

1. devout, godly, reverent. See religious.

Examples from the web for pious

Hardly pious yeshiva students, they behave like aspiring juvenile delinquents.
He learned this practice from a great pious scholar in India.
It gets large amounts of money for such purposes from pious businessmen.
This filled him with dread and a pious concentration of his thoughts.
Be careful, lest unfolding events make you and your pious claims look downright foolish.
Some of his more pious newer songs lacked the spry charm of his mischievous old ones.
Now the opposite happens: synthetic, pious, sanitized versions of reality are in vogue.
But they say they are pious men, with sins to atone for, and he accepts their offer.
Several of those attending can sometimes seem pious; but in a stubborn, deeply English way, many are rather magnificent.
Proliferation happens no matter what, and we would be better off being practical rather than pious about this issue.

British Dictionary definitions for pious

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

piously, adverb
piousness, noun

Word Origin

C17: from Latin pius, related to piāre to expiate

Word Origin and History for pious

adj.

mid-15c., from Latin pius "dutiful, devout, conscientious, religious; faithful to kindred; inspired by friendship, prompted by natural affections," perhaps [Klein] related to Latin purus "pure, clean" (see pure). Often coupled with fraud (n.) from at least 1630s. Related: Piously; piousness.