DictionaryAI

religious

ri-LIJ-uhs/ɹɪˈlɪd͡ʒ.əs/

5 meanings of religious

Practice

  1. 1
    about faithadjective
    Concerning religion or relating to its beliefs, practices, or institutions.

    The court ruled that the law violated religious freedom protections.

    Scholars have cataloged the region's religious art from the medieval period.

    UsageUsually before a noun: religious freedom, religious holidays, religious leaders.

    Similarspiritual, sacred, devotional

    Oppositesecular

  2. 2
    devoutadjective
    Personally committed to the practice of a religion and adherence to its teachings.

    She grew up in a deeply religious household where daily prayer was the norm.

    Though he rarely discusses it, he remains quietly religious.

    UsageTakes very, deeply or more: deeply religious. A very religious writer is pious, not just writing about faith.

    Similardevout, pious, observant, faithful

    Oppositeirreligious, nonreligious

  3. 3
    obsessiveadjective
    Extremely dedicated or scrupulously consistent in some practice, as one might be in observing a religion.

    She is religious about backing up her files every night.

    He attends every city council meeting with religious regularity.

    UsageOften religious about a habit, or with religious care or regularity.

    Similarscrupulous, meticulous, rigorous, conscientious, fanatical

    Oppositecareless, lax, negligent

    Note

    An older strand of the word survives in this figurative use. Latin religiōsus could mean "conscientious" as well as "religious", and this sense carries that scrupulousness into everyday life. What it describes is consistency, not belief, so nothing spiritual is implied when someone is religious about backing up files.

  4. 4
    vowed communityadjective
    Belonging or relating to an order or congregation of consecrated life, such as a community of monks, nuns, or friars.

    After her novitiate, she made her solemn religious profession before the community.

    The diocese oversees several religious houses, including two monasteries and a convent.

    UsageBefore a noun in church use: religious life, religious vows, a religious house.

    Similarmonastic

    Oppositelay

    Note

    Church usage gives this sense its precision. It marks people and things bound to an order or congregation by vows, as in religious priest, religious sister and religious vows. Its opposite here is secular or diocesan. A religious priest lives within a congregation, while a diocesan priest does not. The phrase says nothing about personal devotion, which belongs to the personal-faith meaning.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Religious profession binds members to an institute through public vows. vatican.va
    • A religious priest belongs to a religious institute; secular or diocesan clergy do not. en.wikipedia.org

Less common meaning

  1. 5
    monk or nunnouncountable
    A member of a religious order or congregation, such as a monk, nun, friar, sister, or brother.

    Sister Agnes has lived as a religious for more than forty years.

    The retreat house is staffed by three religious and several lay volunteers.

    UsageThe usual plural is the same: three religious. It names someone under vows, not just any believer.

    Oppositelayperson

    Note

    Here the adjective has become a noun for the person under vows. Diarmaid MacCulloch's A History of Christianity uses it this way when it calls Scholastica Benedict's "sister and fellow religious". A religious in this sense belongs to a consecrated community.

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Middle English "religiouse," borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French forms such as "religieus" and "religieux," which came from Latin "religiōsus" (meaning religious, superstitious, or conscientious), from "religiō." It is a doublet of "religieux."

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

  • The word comes from Middle English religiouse. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Middle English word was borrowed through Anglo-Norman and Old French forms, including religieus and religieux, ultimately from Latin religiōsus. en.wiktionary.org
  • Latin religiōsus meant religious, superstitious, or conscientious. en.wiktionary.org
  • Latin religiōsus derives from religiō. en.wiktionary.org
  • Religious is a doublet of religieux. en.wiktionary.org