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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pious
Maria, austere and deeply pious, runs the business with an iron hand, obsessed with making the family’s origins forgotten.
—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
While Cal's postgraduation life in Edinburgh sounds bleak, returning to his sternly pious father after a taste of modernity and freedom is less enticing still.
—
Paula Cooper,
CBS News,
5 May 2026
As Mildred Layton, the pious pastor’s wife first played on screen by Kristin Chenoweth, Ana Gasteyer is in her element.
—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
The Colombian grandmother of my childhood summers was funny, mean, pious, and hard—despite being tremendously sensitive in her own way.
—
Adriana E. Ramírez,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pious
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
While Cal's postgraduation life in Edinburgh sounds bleak, returning to his sternly pious father after a taste of modernity and freedom is less enticing still.
—
Paula Cooper,
CBS News,
5 May 2026
As Mildred Layton, the pious pastor’s wife first played on screen by Kristin Chenoweth, Ana Gasteyer is in her element.
—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
The Colombian grandmother of my childhood summers was funny, mean, pious, and hard—despite being tremendously sensitive in her own way.
—
Adriana E. Ramírez,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pious
Adjective
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The Federal Reserve’s steadfast period of low interest rates in the 2000s was criticized as contributing to a housing bubble in the 2000s, followed by the mortgage crisis of 2007 and the Great Recession the following year.
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With the almighty Sun highlighting your 7th House of Partnership, commitments benefit from structure that includes realistic timelines and steadfast follow-through.
Adjective
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For a devout convert to Catholicism, Vance has a bumpy history with the Vatican.
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Fearing a loss of their significant clout and influence, devout Protestants revived the earlier campaign to write their faith commitments into the Constitution.
Adjective
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In the months after Assad’s fall in Syria, there were several eruptions of violence between groups loyal and opposed to al-Sharaa that spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks, in which Sunni Islamist fighters affiliated with the new government carried out attacks on Alawite and Druze civilians.
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Why, after all, did the feudal lords of the South, loyal to Church and throne, throw off the royal yoke to join the Revolution?
Adjective
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Americans are more likely than not to favor religious expression in public schools, though most agree participation should be voluntary, a national survey has found.
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That they are entitled to not wear the uniforms, that they’re entitled to express their religious beliefs.
Adjective
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That leaves Shapiro—an Orthodox Jew and staunch Zionist—in a tough spot.
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The public is warming up to nuclear, too – after decades of staunch opposition, a 2024 survey commissioned by the Energy Department found that more than 70% of Filipinos trust nuclear power as a reliable source of electricity, and many support rehabilitating the BNPP.
Adjective
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Not a hushed and reverent scene at all, lively and fun.
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This is a lovely, if rather decorous and reverent, tale of an illicit affair that’s unlikely to cause as much noise as Dhont’s last two films.
Adjective
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Handing the follow-up to her, and her faithful floating dog Krypto, strikes me as an extremely natural next step.
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Austin Sumter, a faithful reader of this newsletter.
Adjective
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There are flag sweaters and skate sneakers and prairie skirts; there are Cheyanne moccasins and Mennonite bonnets and the not-quite-holy Yankees baseball cap.
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The devil invades a Georgetown home, and holy men have quite the job to do on a demonic little girl.
Cite this Entry
“Pious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pious. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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