Having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations. The pious woman attended church every Sunday without fail.
Characterized by a hypocritical concern with virtue or religious devotion; sanctimonious. His pious remarks about charity were undermined by his lack of actual donations.
Sincere or idealistic but unlikely to be fulfilled; expressed as a hopeful wish. His promise to reform the system within a year was dismissed as a pious hope.