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

Skillet now regularly shares stages with a wide range of acts, from the devout to the secular, including Korn, Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, Disturbed, and Papa Roach. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 8 Oct. 2026

The backstory Personas in the hotel’s backstory include a Thai rockstar-slash-antiques collector, a devout Buddhist business tycoon, and a superstar designer. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026

Some of the plot points had changed—the pilgrim’s less-devout husband, for example, was a more robust character. — Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

The truly devout will make 108 loops, as the number is spiritually important in Buddhism. — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 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