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Synonym Chooser

How is the word piety distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of piety are allegiance, devotion, fealty, fidelity, and loyalty. While all these words mean "faithfulness to something to which one is bound by pledge or duty," piety stresses fidelity to obligations regarded as natural and fundamental.

filial piety

When would allegiance be a good substitute for piety?

While the synonyms allegiance and piety are close in meaning, allegiance suggests an adherence like that of citizens to their country.

pledging allegiance

When is it sensible to use devotion instead of piety?

While in some cases nearly identical to piety, devotion stresses zeal and service amounting to self-dedication.

a painter's devotion to her art

When might fealty be a better fit than piety?

Although the words fealty and piety have much in common, fealty implies a fidelity acknowledged by the individual and as compelling as a sworn vow.

fealty to the truth

When can fidelity be used instead of piety?

The meanings of fidelity and piety largely overlap; however, fidelity implies strict and continuing faithfulness to an obligation, trust, or duty.

marital fidelity

When could loyalty be used to replace piety?

The synonyms loyalty and piety are sometimes interchangeable, but loyalty implies a faithfulness that is steadfast in the face of any temptation to renounce, desert, or betray.

valued the loyalty of his friends

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of piety Although the French and Italian religious authorities welcomed their piety, those in Germany tended to suppress them as heretical and revolutionary. Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 The Yup’ik woman became known in church communities across Alaska for quiet generosity, piety and compassion — particularly as a consoler of women who had suffered from abuse, from miscarriage, from the most intimate of traumas. Peter Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025 Under Iran's constitution, the Supreme Leader must be a male Shiite cleric known for piety, political wisdom, and jurisprudential authority—typically a Mujtahid, recognized by peers as qualified to issue religious rulings. Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025 Lucy Ash, The Baton and the Cross This book was largely motivated by anger at the hypocrisy of senior clerics and politicians who profess great piety but whose actions are anything but Christian. Literary Hub, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for piety
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piety
Noun
  • Football is a way of bringing people together irrespective of their faith, colour or religion and this disgusting decision does the exact opposite.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Meyer-Harley’s son has already begun working through his reading list, starting with by Madeleine L’Engle—a classic that has faced multiple challenges over the years due to its themes of magic and religion.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • This was the difference between chasing holiness and choosing wholeness.
    Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
  • True holiness can come from deep friendship.
    Jason DeRose, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • If possession football is boring, then how did City score a record-breaking 106 Premier League goals (85 from open play) when, looking at the data, their devotion to keeping possession was at its peak?
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Humans aren’t very good at estimating meal components down to the gram, and measuring every mouthful of food requires intense devotion.
    Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Miller is an expert interviewer and has given cinephiles a real gift as a candid Scorsese talks about his battles with drugs and his connection to faith.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The narrator’s faith in this flimsy visual evidence is childlike.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The list will be comprised of directors, writers, creators, studio executives and more working in film and television who have made an impact in authentic coverage and storytelling across major world faiths and spirituality over the past year.
    Variety Staff, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Someone like Marvin Gaye saw spirituality and sexuality in conflict, but Prince seems to see them as one thing.
    Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Meghan has no allegiance to the British Royal Family or UK.
    Janelle Ash , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Mbeumo met one of his idols, Samuel Eto’o, before switching allegiance in 2022 and representing Cameroon at the World Cup in Qatar.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Invite critiques to maintain humility Nicholas likes to tell his team that loyalty in retail is just the absence of something better, and he is driven by a fear of rivals like Costco outsmarting his business.
    Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The strongest brands look beyond surface-level metrics to uncover the real signals of loyalty, credibility and cultural resonance.
    Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • This dedication earned him a city proclamation recognizing his impact on Kansas City’s art scene.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Her passion and commitment to the environmental movement in Brazil and beyond, and her dedication to amplifying solutions will be invaluable to our mission.
    Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Piety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piety. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

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