piety

[ pahy-i-tee ]
See synonyms for piety on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural pi·e·ties.
  1. reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations: a prayer full of piety.

  2. the quality or state of being pious: saintly piety.

  1. dutiful respect or regard for parents, homeland, etc.: filial piety.

  2. a pious act, remark, belief, or the like: the pieties and sacrifices of an austere life.

Origin of piety

1
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English piete, from Middle French, from Latin pietās, equivalent to pi(us) + -etās, variant (after i) of -itās; see pious, -ity

Other words for piety

Opposites for piety

Other words from piety

  • su·per·pi·e·ty, noun, plural su·per·pi·e·ties.
  • un·pi·e·ty, noun, plural un·pi·e·ties.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use piety in a sentence

  • He recalled the long years of ritual; childish memories of paternal pieties.

  • Dear tender soul, with all its old-world fidelities and pieties pure and unimpaired!

    Robert Elsmere | Mrs. Humphry Ward
  • It must ever remain one of the supreme gratifications of travel for any American aware of the ancient pieties of race.

    A Passionate Pilgrim | Henry James
  • That name, it will be remembered, was one of the pieties of his soul; he mingled it with the name of his father in his worship.

    Les Misrables | Victor Hugo
  • You said there were no interesting books written for the blind, only pieties.

British Dictionary definitions for piety

piety

/ (ˈpaɪɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. dutiful devotion to God and observance of religious principles

  2. the quality or characteristic of being pious

  1. a pious action, saying, etc

  2. rare devotion and obedience to parents or superiors

Origin of piety

1
C13 piete, from Old French, from Latin pietās piety, dutifulness, from pius pious

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012