Definition of "pious" []

• Having or exhibiting religious reverence; earnestly compliant in the observance of religion; devout. See Synonyms at religious. (adjective)
• Marked by conspicuous devoutness: a pious and holy observation. (adjective)
• Marked by false devoutness; solemnly hypocritical: a pious fraud. (adjective)
• Devotional: pious readings. (adjective)
• Professing or exhibiting a strict, traditional sense of virtue and morality; high-minded. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The word pious fits because Republicans really do worship the top 1 percent and the Wall Street tycoons like Romney who manipulate money but don't actually build anything or create net new jobs."
• "Secondly, it is a good example of what I call the pious palimpsest."
• "If you type in the word 'pious' in Google it now comes up 'pious baloney.'"