pious
pious Lexical Profile
pious Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Devoutly religious; exhibiting strict reverence and dutiful devotion to God or religious practices.
"His grandmother was a pious woman who attended church every morning and spent her evenings in quiet prayer."
Making a hypocritical, ostentatious, or self-righteous display of virtue or morality.
"The politician delivered a pious lecture on fiscal responsibility shortly before his own extravagant expenses were leaked to the press."
Sincere and well-intentioned but ultimately impractical or unlikely to be fulfilled (especially of a hope or wish).
"Without binding enforcement mechanisms, the treaty's pledge to eliminate carbon emissions remains little more than a pious hope."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'pious' originally denotes genuine religious devotion, it is frequently used in modern English with a pejorative nuance to describe ostentatious, hypocritical, or self-righteous displays of virtue.
• Rhymes for pious
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Latin 'pius', meaning 'dutiful, devout, or conscientious', which originally referred to fulfilling one's obligations toward both the gods and one's parents or country.