devout

IPA/dɪˈvaʊt/
KK[dɪvˈaʊt]IPA/dɪˈvaʊt/

devout — adjective

  • devoutpositive
  • more devoutcomparative
  • most devoutsuperlative

1. Holding a faith so strongly that prayer, worship, and moral duty shape the way a

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

Holding a faith so strongly that prayer, worship, and moral duty shape the way a person lives.

Example

Feng's grandmother is a devout Buddhist who recites sutras before dawn.

devout + religion noun

Karim's parents are devout Muslims who visit the mosque before work each Friday.

Common collocations
  • devout Buddhist
  • devout Muslim
  • devout believer
  • devout family
  • deeply devout
Synonyms
  • religious

    broader — can describe people, institutions, customs, or ideas connected with religion

  • pious

    more formal and can sound slightly critical if the faith seems showy

  • observant

    stresses careful obedience to religious rules and rituals

Antonyms
  • irreligious

    showing little interest in or respect for religion

  • secular

    not connected with religious belief or institutions

Grammar Patterns

be/remain/become + devout

devout + believer/religious noun

Usage Note

Used for a person's inner faith and regular religious practice. Distinguish from 'religious', which can also describe institutions, books, art, or customs connected with religion.

Common Mistakes

The museum has a devout painting of Mary.
The museum has a religious painting of Mary.
'Devout' describes believers or their attitude, not objects such as art or buildings.

2. Showing wholehearted, serious commitment to a cause, idea, or way of life outsid

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

Showing wholehearted, serious commitment to a cause, idea, or way of life outside religion.

Example

Constanza is a devout supporter of public libraries and reads to children every Saturday.

devout supporter of + cause

Karim is a devout believer in free school meals for every child.

devout believer in + idea

Common collocations
  • devout supporter
  • devout believer in
  • devout follower
  • devout admirer
  • devout defender of
Synonyms
  • devoted

    more common and flexible — especially natural after 'be' with 'to'

  • committed

    neutral and practical, without the moral or emotional intensity of 'devout'

  • earnest

    emphasizes sincerity and seriousness more than loyalty to a cause

Antonyms
  • half-hearted

    showing only weak or partial support

  • cynical

    distrustful or mocking rather than sincerely committed

Grammar Patterns

devout believer in + idea

devout supporter/follower of + cause

Usage Note

This sense is formal and much less common than the religious one. It usually appears before nouns like 'supporter', 'believer', or 'admirer' rather than after a linking verb on its own.

Common Mistakes

She is devout to climate action.
She is a devout supporter of climate action.
In this non-religious sense, 'devout' usually comes before a noun; after the verb, English more often uses 'devoted to'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Devout focuses on deep personal faith that shows itself in regular practice, prayer, and obedience. Religious is broader: a person can be religious, but so can a school, ceremony, text, or law. Pious is more formal and often suggests visible holiness, sometimes with a hint that the person is trying to appear morally good. Observant stresses careful rule-following, especially in religions with clear daily duties. Spiritual points to inner belief or a search for meaning and may not involve any organized religion at all. Devoted overlaps with devout only in the wider figurative sense, where it means deeply committed to a cause rather than to God. A devout Catholic may also be observant; a spiritual artist may not be religious at all.

religious ↗pious ↗observant ↗spiritual ↗devoted ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • devout believer
  • devout follower
  • devout supporter

Adverbs

  • deeply devout
  • quietly devout
  • fiercely devout

Phrases

  • remain devout
  • become devout
  • a devout believer in

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Devout came into English through Old French devot, from Latin devotus, the past participle of devovere, meaning 'to vow' or 'to dedicate'. The older idea is of a person set apart by a solemn vow. That is why the word first centred on sincere religious commitment and later widened to deep, serious loyalty to a cause or belief.