Meaning & use

religious

adjective·Everyday

Relating to belief in and worship of a god or gods, or devoted to such belief.

See it in a sentence

Her religious upbringing shaped many of the values she still holds as an adult.

He attends services every week and considers himself deeply religious.

A note on using this word

Religious can describe formal belonging to a faith or, more loosely, extreme carefulness, as in "religious attention to detail."

Words with a similar meaning

devoutspiritualpious

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

secularirreligious

Another way to use it

2. noun

A member of a monastic order who has taken formal religious vows.

The religious in the abbey rose before dawn each day for prayer.

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