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 That year Jimmy Carter — a devout Southern Baptist running for president in the first election since Watergate — explained his religious faith in an interview with Playboy magazine. Russell Contreras, Axios, 23 Sep. 2024 And yet this prurient curiosity also threatened the delicate equilibrium between devout Mormonism and hot-mom content that the group’s women were attempting to maintain. Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2024 This designation has typically been associated with artists who have cultivated devout online fan bases, but who are not necessarily household names. NBC News, 12 Sep. 2024 Masters, who has maintained his innocence and became a devout Buddhist while incarcerated, exhausted every legal pathway to challenge his conviction and sentence in state courts, including the California Supreme Court. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for devout 

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 10 Oct. 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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