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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
  • Projects engage critical questions of ecology, migration, identity, religion, and architecture, and excavate both metaphorical and literal prisons.
    PhotoVogue, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Children unfamiliar with the world in time become easy marks for the dealers in fascist politics and quack religions.
    Henry Freedland, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Sainthood is the church’s official acknowledgment that someone lived a life of holiness and is in heaven, serving as an example of Christian faith, devotion, and virtue.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Oct. 2025
  • This was the difference between chasing holiness and choosing wholeness.
    Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Breadth is prioritized over depth; the goal is to strengthen loyalty to the platform, not devotion to an artist or album.
    Jonathan Garrett, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Such devotion will remain forever etched in our hearts.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Rensch says in his book that the Kamps were able to weaponize the faith the Collective preached in an attempt to alter people’s life courses for the gain of the individual and the group.
    Ben Morse, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The woman who said Butler had manipulated her faith to abuse her as a teen blamed the Assemblies of God’s lack of safeguards for enabling him.
    Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The fear of Black spirituality, wielded as a tool of rebellion, extends beyond the big screen.
    Essence, Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Business, politics, even spirituality are saturated with noise.
    Big Think, Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Chris Jones is pledging allegiance to his teammate’s famous fiancée, and Taylor Swift is loving it.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 31 Oct. 2025
  • As Colley noted, Harry is technically in line for the throne of Canada, but nonetheless ditched his Commonwealth allegiances for the Dodgers.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Book Now Como Parrot Cay is part of Comoclub, a loyalty program that allows travelers to accumulate credits to use toward future stays.
    Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2025
  • As Liz becomes a part of the Taylor family, tensions rise and loyalties are tested.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Like these icons, his dedication to discreet luxury and signature precise craftsmanship deeply influenced his approach to design.
    Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Show dedication and determination!
    Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 2 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Piety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piety. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on piety

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