devout

adjective

de·​vout di-ˈvau̇t How to pronounce devout (audio)
1
: committed or devoted to religion or to religious duties or exercises
a devout Catholic
2
: expressing piety or religious fervor : expressing devotion
a devout attitude
3
a
: devoted to a pursuit, belief, or mode of behavior : serious, earnest
a devout baseball fan
born a devout cowardG. B. Shaw
b
: warmly sincere
a devout wish for peace
devoutly adverb
devoutness noun

Examples of devout in a Sentence

It is his devout wish to help people in need. devout Red Sox fans never lost faith during the long World Series drought
Recent Examples on the Web The star is a deeply devout Catholic, devoted to a prayer and exercise routine that regularly starts around 3 a.m. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 One hospice patient, a devout elderly woman, was estranged from her adult son, who no longer believed. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024 His parents were high school sweethearts and devout Catholics; his father graduated from West Point in 1946, served in the Air Force, and started an investment management firm that’s now known as Federated Hermes (and run by another son). Byalena Botros, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2024 His friends describe him as a devout Christian devoted to his biracial family. Joe Davidson, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 At a religious seminary, similarly devout students gathered to hear an officer talk about his military duties. Natan Odenheimer, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 His family wrote that Teran was a devout Christian who loved theology and participating in Bible studies. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2024 In addition to playing in high school, he's known in Hollywood circles as a devout Texas Longhorns fan. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024 The devout fans then found out that the thief sold it to the owner of the Admiral Blake pub in London and went from there. Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'devout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin devotus, from Latin, past participle of devovēre — see devote

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of devout was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near devout

Cite this Entry

“Devout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devout. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

devout

adjective
de·​vout di-ˈvau̇t How to pronounce devout (audio)
1
: devoted to religion or to religious duties or exercises
2
: expressing devotion
a devout attitude
3
a
: devoted to an activity, belief, or type of behavior
a devout baseball fan
b
: earnest entry 2 sense 1, sincere
gave them devout thanks
devoutly adverb
devoutness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on devout

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