pious

pious
pi|ous [ˈpaıəs] adj
[Date: 1400-1500; : Latin; Origin: pius]
1.) having strong religious beliefs, and showing this in the way you behave
→↑piety
▪ He was a quiet, pious man.
2.) if you describe what someone says as pious talk, words etc, you mean that they are trying to sound good or moral but you do not believe that they are sincere or will really do what they say
▪ pious speeches by politicians about 'family values'
3.) pious hope/wish
something that you want to be true or to happen, but that is very unlikely
▪ All these agreements and ideas remain little more than pious hopes in the present climate.
>piously adv

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pious — Pi ous, a. [L. pius: cf. F. pieux.] 1. Of or pertaining to piety; exhibiting piety; reverential; dutiful; religious; devout; godly. Pious hearts. Milton. Pious poetry. Johnson. [1913 Webster] Where was the martial brother s pious care? Pope.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pious — [pī′əs] adj. [L pius, pious, devout, affectionate, good, prob. < IE * pwīyos < base * peu , to clean > L purus,PURE] 1. having or showing religious devotion; zealous in the performance of religious obligations 2. springing from actual or …   English World dictionary

  • pious — index tartuffish, zealous Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • pious — (adj.) c.1600, from L. pius dutiful, kind, devout, perhaps related to L. purus pure, clean (see PURE (Cf. pure)). Related: Piously; piousness …   Etymology dictionary

  • pious — *devout, religious, pietistic, sanctimonious Analogous words: *holy, sacred, divine, religious: worshiping, adoring, reverencing, venerating, revering (see REVERE): fervent, ardent, fervid (see IMPASSIONED) Antonyms: impious …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • pious — [adj] dedicated, religious born again*, clerical, devoted, devout, divine, ecclesiastical, godly, goody goody*, orthodox, prayerful, priestly, reverent, righteous, sacred, saintly, sanctimonious, spiritual; concept 401 Ant. atheist, impious,… …   New thesaurus

  • pious — ► ADJECTIVE 1) devoutly religious. 2) making a hypocritical display of virtue. 3) (of a hope) sincere but unlikely to be fulfilled. DERIVATIVES piously adverb piousness noun. ORIGIN Latin pius dutiful …   English terms dictionary

  • pious — [[t]pa͟ɪ͟əs[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED Someone who is pious is very religious and moral. He was brought up by pious female relatives. ...pious acts of charity. Syn: devout Derived words: piously ADV GRADED ADV with v Conti kneeled and crossed himself… …   English dictionary

  • pious — adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin pius Date: 15th century 1. a. marked by or showing reverence for deity and devotion to divine worship b. marked by conspicuous religiosity < a hypocrite a thing all pious words and uncharitable… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • pious — adjective 1) a pious family Syn: religious, devout, God fearing, churchgoing, spiritual, prayerful, holy, godly, saintly, dedicated, reverent, dutiful, righteous Ant: irreligious …   Thesaurus of popular words

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