devotion

noun

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de·vo·tion | \ di-ˈvō-shən

, dē- \

Definition of devotion

1a : religious fervor : piety

b : an act of prayer or private worship —usually used in pluralduring his morning devotions

c : a religious exercise or practice other than the regular corporate (see corporate sense 2) worship of a congregation

2a : the act of dedicating something to a cause, enterprise, or activity : the act of devoting the devotion of a great deal of time and energy

b : the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal her devotion to the cause filial devotion

3 obsolete : the object of one's devotion

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Devotion Has Latin Roots More Example Sentences Learn More about devotion

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Choose the Right Synonym for devotion

fidelity, allegiance, fealty, loyalty, devotion, piety mean faithfulness to something to which one is bound by pledge or duty. fidelity implies strict and continuing faithfulness to an obligation, trust, or duty. marital fidelity allegiance suggests an adherence like that of citizens to their country. pledging allegiance fealty implies a fidelity acknowledged by the individual and as compelling as a sworn vow. fealty to the truth loyalty implies a faithfulness that is steadfast in the face of any temptation to renounce, desert, or betray. valued the loyalty of his friends devotion stresses zeal and service amounting to self-dedication. a painter's devotion to her art piety stresses fidelity to obligations regarded as natural and fundamental. filial piety

Devotion Has Latin Roots

When we take a vow, we pledge our devotion—whether to remain true to a partner, to uphold the law, or to honor the word of God. It should be no surprise then that devotion and its related verb devote come from the act of taking a vow. Both words originate from Latin devotus, which is the past participle of devovēre, a union of the prefix de- ("from") and the verb vovēre ("to vow"). Devote was once used as an adjective that could mean either "devout" or "devoted." While devout often connotes faithfulness of a religious nature, the adjective devoted conveys the sense of one's commitment to another through love and loyalty ("a devoted husband and father"; "the singer's devoted fans").

Examples of devotion in a Sentence

She has cared for the poor with selfless devotion. The devotion they felt for each other was obvious. The project will require the devotion of a great deal of time and money. They spend an hour each morning at their devotions.

Recent Examples on the Web But Republicans have made clear that their devotion to Trump is irrational and, like other religious faiths, not subject to rational refutation. — Oliver Darcy, CNN, "Gordon Sondland provides historic testimony, but will it pierce GOP's alternative universe?," 21 Nov. 2019 Whether your friend has an undying devotion to skin-care sets or is basically Julia Child 2.0, there's something for them on this list. — Glamour, "53 Gifts for Your Ride-or-Die Girlfriends," 21 Nov. 2019 So where did this tradition come from and why is there such devotion to it? — National Geographic, "Is Halloween really a holiday?," 28 Oct. 2019 But the company, with headquarters in the Bay Area, has publicly expressed a devotion to diversity, in part through its hiring efforts. — oregonlive, "Black employee sues Apple for $750k, claims his complaints about racist Oregon customers resulted in his firing," 22 Oct. 2019 The story has thus doubled as a meditation on devotion, as well as an engaging mythological mystery. — Christian Holub, EW.com, "5 comics to read in September: Endings and beginnings for fairies and gods," 4 Sep. 2019 Her devotion to him, nevertheless, remained unshaken. — Garry Wills, Harper's magazine, "Shallow Calls to Shallow," 10 Apr. 2019 Their devotion is a moving tribute to the way in which Garland was, and remains, idolized by many gay men. — Suyin Haynes, Time, "The True Story Behind the Movie Judy," 26 Sep. 2019 Or is Brown trying to somehow show his commitment to the sport by his devotion to the helmet? — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "Real or fake? Difficult to separate Raiders drama from HBO ‘Hard Knocks’ cameras," 19 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'devotion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

27 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Devotion.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devotion. Accessed 11 December 2019.

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devotion

noun