religiosity
noun
: the quality or state of being religious : religious feeling or devotion
A study of 291 newlywed couples found spouses to be closer in values, religiosity, and political attitudes than would be predicted by chance …—
Matthew Hutson
Matthew Hutson… on the whole any given generation tends to retain its level of religiosity throughout life.—Gregory S. Paul
Gregory S. Paul
often
: an intense, excessive, or fervent religiousness
The recent outburst of popular religiosity in the United States is a most dramatic and unforeseen development in American life. As Europe grows more secular, America grows more devout. —Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. It must be emphasized that the moral imperative of fiction provides no excuse for smug moralizing, religiosity, or propaganda. On the contrary, it forbids them. —Robert Stone
Robert Stone The whole notion of pushing your physical limits … has attained a religiosity that's as passionate as it is pervasive. —Heather Havrilesky
Heather Havrilesky 
Examples of religiosity in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The fact that Johnson represents a combination of the GOP’s most repulsive qualities—Donald Trump’s disdain for democracy, Paul Ryan’s economic program, Mike Pence’s religiosity—was also an asset: Everyone in the caucus could find something to love in the mild-mannered Louisianan.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 2 Nov. 2023
But Democrats’ waning religiosity may be a factor in the longer-term trend.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2023
As the number of adults who belong to a church, synagogue or mosque has dropped — in 2021, membership fell below half for the first time in eight decades — another form of religiosity has emerged: spirituality.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2023
Published a century ago, the poet’s secular meditation on the Christian sabbath considers the human longing for ‘some imperishable bliss’ amid a culture of waning religiosity.
—Daniel Akst, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2023
Such religiosity can come across as pious and performative when delivered from the pulpit.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023
The young Freud responded to his family’s relative poverty by developing a zeal for study, growing cold toward his father’s religiosity, and eventually changing his name.
—Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, 1 Sep. 2022
Enter Email Sign Up Arguably as damaging, in Snyder’s view, was the stern evangelical religiosity of her household: the compulsory worship and imposition of strict rules meant to govern every aspect of her behavior (and seemingly leach any possible joy from adolescence).
—Julia M. Klein, BostonGlobe.com, 25 May 2023
Mondrian boiled down his religiosity to a belief in the intrinsic potency of the craft of painting, in and of itself.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2022
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Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 2 Nov. 2023
But Democrats’ waning religiosity may be a factor in the longer-term trend.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2023
As the number of adults who belong to a church, synagogue or mosque has dropped — in 2021, membership fell below half for the first time in eight decades — another form of religiosity has emerged: spirituality.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2023
Published a century ago, the poet’s secular meditation on the Christian sabbath considers the human longing for ‘some imperishable bliss’ amid a culture of waning religiosity.
—Daniel Akst, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2023
Such religiosity can come across as pious and performative when delivered from the pulpit.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023
The young Freud responded to his family’s relative poverty by developing a zeal for study, growing cold toward his father’s religiosity, and eventually changing his name.
—Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, 1 Sep. 2022
Enter Email Sign Up Arguably as damaging, in Snyder’s view, was the stern evangelical religiosity of her household: the compulsory worship and imposition of strict rules meant to govern every aspect of her behavior (and seemingly leach any possible joy from adolescence).
—Julia M. Klein, BostonGlobe.com, 25 May 2023
Mondrian boiled down his religiosity to a belief in the intrinsic potency of the craft of painting, in and of itself.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'religiosity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1799, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near religiosity
Cite this Entry
“Religiosity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religiosity. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
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