Meaning & use
impious
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Meanings
adjectivecomparableformalreligion
Showing a lack of respect for God, religion or things considered sacred.
Grammar: Can come before a noun (an impious remark) or after a linking verb (the act was impious).
Patterns
- an impious act
- impious toward something
The priest called the joke impious and left the room.
In the old story, the impious king mocked the gods and was punished.
Burning the holy book was seen as an impious act.
adjectivecomparableliteraryrare
Lacking proper respect or loyalty toward parents, elders or an authority one should honor.
Grammar: A rare, literary use found in older writing about duty.
Patterns
- an impious son
- impious conduct
The play shows an impious son who refuses to bury his father.
Her impious behavior at the funeral shocked the family.
Ancient writers treated neglecting one's parents as impious.
Common combinations
- impious act
- Defacing the shrine was an impious act.
- impious words
- The monk refused to listen to impious words.
- impious king
- The poem warns of an impious king.
- deemed impious
- The painting was deemed impious by church leaders.
- impious scorn
- He answered with impious scorn.
Synonyms and how they differ
- irreverent
- Irreverent often describes casual disrespect that can be humorous, while impious sounds like a serious religious offense.
- sacrilegious
- Sacrilegious is stronger and points to a specific violation of something holy, not just general disrespect.
- profane
- Profane is used about language or acts that treat the sacred as ordinary, and it is more common today than impious.
- irreligious
- Irreligious describes a lack of religion, while impious suggests active disrespect toward it.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: impious or impish?
impious vs impish
Impish means playfully naughty, like a small child, and has no religious meaning.
Practice
The villagers were shocked by the ______ act of tearing down the shrine.
Choose one answer.
Impious means disrespectful to religion, which suits damaging a shrine; devout is the opposite, and humble and cautious do not describe disrespect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “impious”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.