What does “pious” mean?
- 1
adjectivedeeply religious and careful to follow religious practices
Her grandmother was a pious woman who prayed every day.
- 2
adjectivepretending to be morally better than others
I’m tired of his pious lectures about honesty.
Pious at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective
- CEFR level
- C2 (proficient)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈpaɪəs/ · PY-us
How to use “pious” correctly
A “pious hope” is something you wish for but which is unlikely to happen.
Common phrases with “pious”
- a pious hope
- pious words
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- devout
- religious
- sanctimonious
Word family
- piety
- piously
“pious” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- dogged adjectiveC2refusing to give up, even when things are difficult
- earnest adjectiveC2very serious and sincere, sometimes too serious
- impertinent adjectiveC2rude and not showing enough respect, especially to someone older or more important
- languid adjectiveC2slow and relaxed, showing little energy or effort
- loath adjectiveC2unwilling to do something
- lofty adjectiveC2of very high moral standard or ambition, sometimes unrealistically
- scrupulous adjectiveC2very careful to do everything correctly and pay attention to details
- staid adjectiveC2serious, old-fashioned and not adventurous