Synonyms of religious

religious 1 of 2

adjective

ri-ˈli-jəs 

1

as in sacred

of, relating to, or used in the practice or worship services of a religion

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote some of the most beautiful religious music in the world

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sacred
• spiritual
• liturgical
• devotional
• holy
• ritual
• solemn
• consecrated
• sacramental
• sacrosanct
• blessed
• sanctified
• hallowed
• semireligious
• semisacred

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• secular
• nonreligious
• profane
• earthly
• worldly
• terrestrial
• mundane
• terrene

2

as in pious

showing a devotion to God and to a life of virtue

a deeply religious woman who eventually decided to quit her job and to become a nun

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pious
• devout
• spiritual
• holy
• reverent
• godly
• saintly
• sainted
• ascetic
• venerable
• moral
• worshipful
• prayerful
• pietistic
• reverential
• blessed
• pure
• religiose
• virtuous
• angelic
• chaste
• righteous
• cherubic
• canonized
• beatified
• upright

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• irreligious
• secular
• godless
• antireligious
• impious
• unholy
• faithless
• ungodly
• blasphemous
• irreverent
• worldly
• sacrilegious
• profane
• nonreligious
• unspiritual
• evil
• unfaithful
• sinful
• immoral
• desecrating
• profanatory
• wicked
• backsliding
• unrighteous
• iniquitous
• sinning
• miscreant

3

as in passionate

having or expressing great depth of feeling

a woman known for embracing various causes with a religious enthusiasm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• passionate
• passional
• emotional
• fervent
• warm
• intense
• ardent
• demonstrative
• charged
• enthusiastic
• fiery
• glowing
• impassioned
• burning
• fervid
• incandescent
• perfervid
• flaming
• vehement
• feverish
• sentimental
• superheated
• blazing
• torrid
• red-hot
• warm-blooded
• hot-blooded
• on fire
• zealous
• mawkish
• melodramatic
• histrionic
• saccharine
• sugary
• sloppy
• sappy
• mushy
• gushy
• obsessed
• schmaltzy
• maudlin
• gung ho
• uninhibited
• orgiastic
• keen
• infatuated
• frenzied
• enamored
• unrestrained
• unreserved
• gushing
• overemotional
• overheated
• overexcited

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cold
• dispassionate
• cool
• impersonal
• objective
• impassive
• dry
• detached
• unemotional
• emotionless
• reserved
• undemonstrative

religious

2 of 2

noun

as in nun

Related Words

• nun
• novice
• anchoress
• mother superior
• Reverend Mother
• ecclesiastic
• votary
• monastic
• prioress
• clerical
• priestess
• abbess
• conventual
• preacher
• cloistress
• monk
• friar
• divine
• mendicant
• cleric
• sister
• reverend
• high priestess
• diocesan
• deaconess
• clergyman
• pope
• bishop
• deacon
• clergyperson
• oblate
• archbishop
• prelate
• clergywoman
• dominie
• abbot
• churchman
• pastor
• minister
• dean
• high priest
• chaplain
• vicar
• curé
• missionary
• presbyter
• monsignor
• padre
• clerk
• abbé
• parson
• rector
• Holy Joe
• revivalist
• curate
• shepherd
• confessor
• father
• archpriest
• sky pilot
• missioner
• evangelist
• missionizer

Dissimilar Words

• secular
• layman
• lay reader
• layperson
• lector

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of religious

Adjective

Jayde had fled the family in 2014 at the age of 16, having rejected their religious views. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

The exhibition highlights how trade routes connected the Arabian Gulf, East Africa, India, China, and Southeast Asia through the exchange of spices, pearls, textiles, jewelry, and religious beliefs. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026

Noun

As a young religious, Bishop-elect Lombardo did missionary work in Bolivia and Honduras. — Laura Rodríguez Presa, chicagotribune.com, 11 Sep. 2020