pious
PY-uhs
/ˈpaɪ.əs/
Devoutly religious, or dutifully fulfilling moral obligations.
Can be entirely positive (sincerely religious) or pejorative (making a hypocritical show of virtue, as in 'pious platitudes').
The story behind the word. Derived directly from Latin 'pius', which expressed the Roman ideal of fulfilling duties toward gods, elders, and motherland. In Christian Latin, it narrowed to divine reverence, eventually taking on dual meanings in modern English: true devotion or ostentatious virtue.
Word relationships
- devout: 'Devout' carries no negative undertone of hypocrisy, whereas 'pious' can.
- sanctimonious: 'Sanctimonious' is always negative, meaning hypocritically moralizing, whereas 'pious' is often genuinely devout.
- impious: Showing lack of reverence toward sacred matters.
Commonly confused with
- pity: Though etymologically related through Latin 'pietas', 'pity' means compassion for suffering, whereas 'pious' refers to religious devotion.
Word family
- piety (noun): Religious devotion or dutiful reverence.
- piously (adverb): In a pious manner.
Collocations
- pious hope
- pious wish
- pious Muslim
- pious practice
Idioms & expressions
- pious fraud (a deception intended to accomplish a good or religious purpose)
Example sentences
- "The monk lived a quiet, pious life in the mountain monastery." Literary depiction of character
- "The politician's speech was full of pious hope but lacked concrete policies." Describing hollow statements
Memory hook
Pious people 'pie'-ntly (quietly) pray to the sky. Dutiful reverence or holy pretence.
When not to use
Avoid using 'pious' if you want an unambiguously positive compliment without any chance of implying hypocrisy; use 'devout' instead.
Fun facts
- The Roman hero Aeneas was famously epitomized as 'Pius Aeneas' in Virgil's Aeneid because of his duty to his father and ancestors.
Explore more words
scrupulous, observant, sacred, solemn, hypocritical, nefarious
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