de·vo·tion·al
di-ˈvō-shnəl 
-shə-nᵊl,
dē-
: of, relating to, or characterized by devotion
devotional literature
: a short worship service
Synonyms
Examples of devotional in a Sentence
Adjective
a religious bookstore with an extensive stock of devotional literature
Recent Examples on the Web
Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024
Doug’s devotional affinity for puppers traces back to his youth, when his religious-fanatic brother and violent father forced him to live in a dog kennel.
—Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
This bond is a key reason why fans not only love Illenium’s music, but often have devotional relationships with it.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024
Scenes in the studio and backstage before shows reveal how Marley worked — his high expectations, his perfectionism, his sense of humor and his devotional approach to creating music.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024
Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi held a conference late last month, where more than 30 speakers from India, Sri Lanka, and South Africa gathered to discuss devotional songs and poetry that have historically transcended religious divides.
—Kalpana Jain, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2023
And there is another one — the one that is rooted to some extent in the traditional economics of sports but has been exaggerated by the devotional nature of fandom in the digital age — that places individual stars at the front and center of a club.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Villagers also gathered outside the tunnel, some singing Hindu devotional songs and raising slogans in praise of the Hindu god Lord Ram on hearing news of the breakthrough.
—Saurabh Sharma, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Nov. 2023
Among them are the film’s protagonists, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, two heroes of British sprinting whose respective struggles with devotional obligation and latent anti-Semitism form the core of the narrative.
—Martin Fritz Huber, Outside Online, 13 Dec. 2022
Katie Toussaint, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
We Were Made For, a devotional that unlike many out there, is completely focused on centering God as opposed to centering the reader.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 4 Oct. 2023
The devotional is meant to be a resource to push readers to dig deeper into the text on their own.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 4 Oct. 2023
Her mother had read devotionals to the couple there.
—Sadiba Hasan, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
The illustration referenced by Clarke is typical of personalized devotional and prayer books at the time.
—V.m. Braganza, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023
The Christian publishing world is chock-full of devotionals, collections of daily spiritual texts that sell at a modest, regular pace through gift shops and church bookstores.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
Megan Poirier, 24, a lesbian ex-ICOC member who was raised in ICOC churches in Boston and for a few years in Texas, first saw Hammond speak at a Friday night teen devotional outside of Boston almost a decade ago.
—Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2023
Doors will open at 6:15 p.m., and there will be a special pre-show party at 4:15 p.m. and an early entry and devotional at 5:30 p.m.
—Staff Report, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2023
Adjective
Further analysis revealed that the tombs were holding much more than just ancient remains: Inside, archaeologists found collections of rare jewelry and religious devotional objects, according to a March 4 news release from the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (INRAP).
—Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024
Doug’s devotional affinity for puppers traces back to his youth, when his religious-fanatic brother and violent father forced him to live in a dog kennel.
—Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
This bond is a key reason why fans not only love Illenium’s music, but often have devotional relationships with it.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024
Scenes in the studio and backstage before shows reveal how Marley worked — his high expectations, his perfectionism, his sense of humor and his devotional approach to creating music.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024
Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi held a conference late last month, where more than 30 speakers from India, Sri Lanka, and South Africa gathered to discuss devotional songs and poetry that have historically transcended religious divides.
—Kalpana Jain, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2023
And there is another one — the one that is rooted to some extent in the traditional economics of sports but has been exaggerated by the devotional nature of fandom in the digital age — that places individual stars at the front and center of a club.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Villagers also gathered outside the tunnel, some singing Hindu devotional songs and raising slogans in praise of the Hindu god Lord Ram on hearing news of the breakthrough.
—Saurabh Sharma, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Nov. 2023
Among them are the film’s protagonists, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, two heroes of British sprinting whose respective struggles with devotional obligation and latent anti-Semitism form the core of the narrative.
—Martin Fritz Huber, Outside Online, 13 Dec. 2022
Noun
Reads devotionals, news clips or emails to wake her brain up.
—Katie Toussaint, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
We Were Made For, a devotional that unlike many out there, is completely focused on centering God as opposed to centering the reader.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 4 Oct. 2023
The devotional is meant to be a resource to push readers to dig deeper into the text on their own.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 4 Oct. 2023
Her mother had read devotionals to the couple there.
—Sadiba Hasan, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
The illustration referenced by Clarke is typical of personalized devotional and prayer books at the time.
—V.m. Braganza, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023
The Christian publishing world is chock-full of devotionals, collections of daily spiritual texts that sell at a modest, regular pace through gift shops and church bookstores.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
Megan Poirier, 24, a lesbian ex-ICOC member who was raised in ICOC churches in Boston and for a few years in Texas, first saw Hammond speak at a Friday night teen devotional outside of Boston almost a decade ago.
—Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2023
Doors will open at 6:15 p.m., and there will be a special pre-show party at 4:15 p.m. and an early entry and devotional at 5:30 p.m.
—Staff Report, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'devotional.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near devotional
Cite this Entry
“Devotional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devotional. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on devotional
Britannica English: Translation of devotional for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about devotional
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