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Religious vs Pious - What's the difference?

religious | pious | Synonyms |

Pious is a synonym of religious.



As adjectives the difference between religious and pious

is that religious is concerning religion while pious is of or pertaining to piety, exhibiting piety, devout, godfearing.

As a noun religious

is a member of a religious order, i.e. a monk or nun.

religious

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Concerning religion.
    • It is the job of this court to rule on legal matters. We do not consider religious issues.
  • Committed to the practice of religion.
    • I was much more religious as a teenager than I am now.
  • Highly dedicated, as one would be to a religion.
    • I'm a religious fan of college basketball.

    Antonyms

    * (concerning religion) * (committed to religion) * (highly dedicated)

    Hyponyms

    * Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Baha'i, Wiccan, Eckist, Druid, Jain, , Sikh, Taoist, Zoroastrian, Unitarian Universalist, New Ager, reconstructionist, LaVeyan Satanist, Scientologist, Rastafarian, Taoist, pagan, spiritist, humanist, Thelemite, Confucianist

    Related terms

    * irreligious * religion * religious education * religious leader * religious order * religious studies * religiously * religiousness * sacrilegious

    Noun

    (religious)
  • A member of a religious order, i.e. a monk or nun.
  • * 2009 , (Diarmaid MacCulloch), A History of Christianity , Penguin 2010, p. 354:
    • Towards the end of the seventh century the monks of Fleury [...] clandestinely excavated the body of Benedict himself, plus the corpse of his even more shadowy sister and fellow religious , Scholastica.

    Statistics

    *

    External links

    * *

    pious

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Of or pertaining to piety, exhibiting piety, devout, godfearing.
  • * 2014, (Paul Salopek), Blessed. Cursed. Claimed. , National Geographic (December 2014)[http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/pilgrim-roads/salopek-text]
    • Its male residents dress like crows: heavy black suits, black Borsalino hats, the old grandfathers hugely whiskered and the boys in peot, the curled sidelocks of the pious .

    Usage notes

    * Sometimes used pejoratively, in the sense of "mistaken" or "false" piety, as in "pious errors", "pious frauds".

    Synonyms

    * reverent, reverential, dutiful, religious, devout, godly

    Antonyms

    * (of or pertaining to piety) impious, independent, profane

    Derived terms

    * piously * piousness

    Related terms

    * piety