pious

adjective

ˈpī-əs How to pronounce pious (audio)
Definition of piousnext
1
as in steadfast
firm in one's allegiance to someone or something a pious supporter of his school's athletic teams, during winning and losing seasons alike

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devout
showing a devotion to God and to a life of virtue a pious woman who decided to become a nun

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 pious Others regard the unum as a pious myth. — James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 However, this distinction did more than pit pious Americans against an atheist enemy. — David Williamson, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026 In Wake-Keeper (2026), a roughly four-by-five-foot canvas, a pious man draped in the red cloth of traditional Ghanaian funeral attire sits on a stool with his hands clasped, his body facing the left side of the frame. — Lovia Gyarkye, The New York Review of Books, 6 June 2026 The aim wasn’t to make the chatbot Bible-thumping or pious. — Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for pious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pious
  1. steadfast
  2. devout
  3. loyal
  4. religious
  5. staunch
  6. reverent
  7. faithful
  8. holy
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, waiting in the wings is a man of few words — and initially, few feelings, or so thinks Marianne — the steadfast Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum).
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The poem continues with more verses about Burns’s steadfast love, but beyond that, nothing really happens.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of steadfast
Adjective
  • Indeed, in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, Ali stars as Latif, a devout Muslim and contract killer who travels across Houston in an effort to protect his three children following the death of his wife.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Skillet now regularly shares stages with a wide range of acts, from the devout to the secular, including Korn, Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, Disturbed, and Papa Roach.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of devout
Adjective
  • Members who believe their institution is genuinely looking out for them tend to stay loyal.
    — Anand Solanki, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The brand’s distinctive designs, which feature minimalistic, clean, architectural shapes, have had a loyal following.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of loyal
Adjective
  • However, its point of greatest eclipse occurs just a few miles from Thebes, the magnificent religious and political capital of ancient Egypt's Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Maryland's Freedom to Read Act states that material cannot be removed from school libraries based on political, religious or personal views.
    — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of religious
Adjective
  • Republicans coalesced around Hilton after the president endorsed him over his GOP rival, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a staunch Trump supporter who later said the endorsement made Hilton unelectable.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Democrats must decide whether to take the deal in front of them or, possibly with a congressional majority next year, craft a version more to their liking that may be met with staunch GOP opposition and, thus, gridlock purgatory yet again.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of staunch
Adjective
  • Brought from the page to the gallery wall, Loran’s diagram looks a bit like anti-art rather than reverent analysis of a masterpiece.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • But an extensive fiiing made by the trust to a Tennessee court late Tuesday afternoon paint a different portrait of Seaver than the reverent one seen in the death announcement video.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of reverent
Adjective
  • Between Hail Marys, the half a dozen faithful ask God to save both their souls and the 175-year-old church that many of them have belonged to for years and, in some cases, generations.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Housed in a walk-in room situated within a larger exhibition hall, the Castelli copy is so faithful that even the gallery’s parquet floor has been reconstructed here.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of faithful
Adjective
  • The Egyptian presidency said Cairo was prepared to provide Saudi Arabia with necessary support to defend its security, stability, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The holy man was eventually burned at the stake as a heretic.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of holy

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pioneers
pious
piousness
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Cite this Entry

“Pious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pious. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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