piously

IPA/ˈpaɪəsli/
KK[pˈaɪəsli]IPA/ˈpaɪəsli/

piously — adverb

1. showing genuine religious devotion through one's actions, such as by praying, at

1.副詞B2
釋義

showing genuine religious devotion through one's actions, such as by praying, attending worship services, or following the rules of a faith

例句

Every morning Arjun knelt piously and whispered prayers before starting his day.

collocation: knelt piously / prayed piously

The nuns lived piously, dedicating their days to prayer and caring for the sick.

collocation: lived piously

同義詞
  • devoutly

    more common than piously and carries a warmer, more earnest tone; piously can sound slightly formal or old-fashioned

  • religiously

    broader — can describe any faithful routine, not only spiritual practice

  • reverently

    focuses on deep respect rather than active religious observance

反義詞
  • irreverently

    showing lack of respect for sacred things

  • impiously

    direct antonym — lacking religious reverence, though very rare in modern use

用法筆記

Frequently used with verbs of religious practice such as kneel, pray, worship, observe, and live. The adjective form is pious (B2); the noun is piety (B2).

常見錯誤

❌She piously went to church every Sunday.
✅She went to church piously every Sunday.
💡As an adverb of manner, piously can appear before or after the verb, but placing it before the main verb ('piously went') is less natural in modern English than placing it after ('knelt piously', 'lived piously') or before ('piously observed').

2. pretending to be morally good or religious in order to impress people, while one

2.副詞C1
釋義

pretending to be morally good or religious in order to impress people, while one's actual behaviour shows the opposite is true

例句

The CEO spoke piously about honesty while secretly falsifying financial reports.

collocation: spoke piously about [virtue] while [contradicting action]

Mauricio piously declared his concern for the poor, then refused to fund a single meal.

同義詞
  • sanctimoniously

    stronger and more negative — emphasises the person's annoying show of moral superiority

  • hypocritically

    direct synonym; more general — does not have to involve religion

  • self-righteously

    focuses on the person's belief that they are morally better than others

反義詞

用法筆記

This sense is pejorative and ironic — it describes someone who pretends to be good or religious but clearly does not mean what they say. Often found in political commentary, opinion writing, and criticism of public figures. The verb that piously modifies is typically about speaking or declaring (speak, claim, declare, announce, urge). Do not use this sense when you mean genuine religious behaviour — use sense 1 (IN A DEVOUT WAY) instead.

常見錯誤

❌The priest piously blessed the congregation.' (if you mean genuine devotion — this sounds sarcastic in sense 2)
✅The priest piously blessed the congregation.' (use sense 1 if genuine, or rephrase as 'The priest blessed the congregation with genuine devotion.')
💡Without context, piously can be ambiguous; make sure the surrounding sentence makes the intended meaning clear.