devout

adjective

de·​vout di-ˈvau̇t 

1

: committed or devoted to religion or to religious duties or exercises

a devout Catholic

2

: expressing piety or religious fervor : expressing devotion

a devout attitude

3

a

: devoted to a pursuit, belief, or mode of behavior : serious, earnest

a devout baseball fan

born a devout coward

—G. B. Shaw

b

: warmly sincere

a devout wish for peace

devoutly adverb

devoutness noun

Synonyms of devout

• loyal
• staunch
• steadfast
• faithful
• devoted
• true
• dedicated

Examples of devout in a Sentence

It is his devout wish to help people in need.

devout Red Sox fans never lost faith during the long World Series drought

Recent Examples on the Web

The series written by Tolkien, a devout Catholic, became a popular franchise with conservatives. —Alexander Hall, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026

There are other surprises in store for even the most devout Frankenthaler fans. —Grace Edquist, Vogue, 7 May 2026

His potential political ambitions aside, Rubio has incentive to seek good relations with the Vatican, both diplomatically and personally as a devout member of the faith. —Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 6 May 2026

The Goryeo were devout Buddhists; so too are the Lee family, of the modern Won Buddhist sect. —Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin devotus, from Latin, past participle of devovēre — see devote

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for devout

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• dropout
• dugout

Kids Definition

devout

adjective

de·​vout di-ˈvau̇t 

1

: devoted to religion or to religious duties or exercises

2

: expressing devotion

a devout attitude

3

a

: devoted to an activity, belief, or type of behavior

a devout baseball fan

b

: earnest entry 2 sense 1, sincere

gave them devout thanks

devoutly adverb

devoutness noun