pious: Meaning and Definition of

pi•ous

1. having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations.
2. characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion; sanctimonious.
3. practiced or used in the name of real or pretended religious motives, or for some ostensibly good object; falsely earnest or sincere: a pious deception.
4. of or pertaining to religious devotion; sacred rather than secular: pious literature.
5. having or showing appropriate respect or regard for parents or others.