Impious
/ɪmˈpaɪəs/
adjectiveC1
Definition
Impious describes a person or action that does not respect religious beliefs or sacred things. It often means being rude or not faithful to God or religious rules. People use it to talk about behavior that is against religious respect or devotion.
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See It in Action
Showing no respect for God or religion
- •The impious man mocked the prayers during the ceremony.
- •Many cultures see impious behavior as very offensive.
- •She was called impious for ignoring the sacred traditions.
Acting without reverence or respect for what is considered holy
- •The impious words shocked the religious community.
- •His impious attitude caused anger among the faithful.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "impious" like "rude," but specifically about religion or sacred things—it means disrespectful in a religious way.
- ✓Picture someone ignoring or mocking a church or temple, not caring about holy rules.
- ✓It's the feeling when someone breaks important religious traditions or speaks badly about God.
- ✓Sounds like "im-PIE-us" → Imagine someone throwing a pie at a holy statue—something disrespectful and shocking.
- ✓In stories, an impious character might be punished by gods for not showing respect.
- ✓NOT like "pious" (which means very religious and respectful), "impious" is the opposite—showing no respect.
- ✓NOT like "sinful" (which means doing wrong), "impious" focuses on disrespect or lack of reverence, not just bad actions.
- ✓NOT like "irrelevant" (not important), "impious" is about disrespect, especially in religion.
Try Other Words
- •Irreverent: not showing respect, especially for something sacred (Use when you want to describe a lack of respect but less strong or formal)
- •Blasphemous: showing disrespect or speaking badly about God or sacred things (Use when the disrespect is very strong or offensive)
- •Unholy: not holy or sacred, often used to describe behavior or things that are against religious rules (Use when describing something opposite to sacred or holy)
Unboxing
- •Prefix: "im-" meaning "not" or "without"
- •Root: "pious" meaning religious, respectful, or devoted to God
- •Etymology: From Latin "impius" meaning "not pious" or "wicked," combining "in-" (not) + "pius" (dutiful, religious)
- •Historical development: Used since the 1500s to describe people or actions lacking religious respect or devotion
- •Modern usage: Used mostly in formal or literary contexts to describe disrespect toward religion or sacred things
Reflect & Connect
•How might the word "impious" be used differently in religious and non-religious contexts?
•Can someone be impious without meaning to be disrespectful? How does intention affect the meaning?
Fill in the blanks
1.The crowd was shocked by his impious ___ during the sacred ceremony.
2.She was called impious because she showed no ___ for the holy place.
3.Unlike respectful worshippers, the impious person ___ the religious customs.
4.The impious words were considered ___ and caused great offense.
5.People who are impious often ___ the feelings of believers.
6.The story described an impious king who ___ the gods and lost his kingdom.
7.His impious attitude made it clear he had no ___ for spiritual matters.