PIOUS Synonyms: 122 Similar and Opposite Words

pious

adjective

ˈpī-əs

Definition of pious

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in devout

showing a devotion to God and to a life of virtue a pious woman who decided to become a nun

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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

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

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
The backstory Personas in the hotel’s backstory include a Thai rockstar-slash-antiques collector, a devout Buddhist business tycoon, and a superstar designer.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of devout

Adjective

Its accompanying music video, directed by longtime U2 collaborator Anton Corbijn, was filmed in the California desert and satirizes the band as a religious cult in which women do the heavy lifting.

— Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week Hasan’s execution would be livestreamed, eliciting pushback from Democrats, Republicans and religious advocates about the idea.

— Corbin Bolies, Variety, 15 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

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
The movie is notably faithful, at times dutifully chronological and nearly always horror-movie bracing on the subject of the rise of capitalist AI.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of faithful

Adjective

Under what was known as the Status Quo, a set of unwritten understandings between Israel and Jordan, the custodian of Jerusalem’s Muslim holy sites, Jews could visit the shrine, but only Muslims could worship there.

— Ilan Ben Zion, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2026
Earlier on Saturday, the Houthies threatened new attacks on the kingdom's airports, except for the holy sites of Mecca and Medina, warning passengers not to travel.

— CBS News, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of holy

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pioneers

pious

piousness

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“Pious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pious. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of pious

adjective

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