impious

/'impiəs/

Thân thiện

An impious man refused to kneel in the ancient temple.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Lacking reverence for God or religious beliefs; not pious: Describes a person, action, or attitude that shows a lack of proper respect for God, the divine, or religious principles.
   • Lacking dutiful respect, especially toward parents: In a broader or archaic sense, it can describe a lack of respect or dutifulness in important relationships, such as that between a child and parent.

Usage and Examples

• Describing a lack of religious reverence:
  • The impious ruler ordered the destruction of the sacred temples.
  • His impious remarks about the ceremony offended many believers.
• Describing a lack of dutiful respect (less common):
  • The ancient tale warns of the fate that befalls an impious son who dishonors his father.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Theological Context: Often used in religious or philosophical discussions to contrast with piety, a virtue involving devotion and respect for the divine.
  • The debate centered on whether the philosopher's questioning was scholarly or fundamentally impious.
• Literary/Formal Tone: The word is more common in formal, academic, or literary contexts than in everyday conversation.

Variants and Related Words

• Impiety (noun): The quality or state of being impious; a lack of piety.
  • His actions were condemned as an act of gross impiety.
• Impiously (adverb): In an impious manner.
  • He spoke impiously of the traditions.

Synonyms

• Irreverent: Showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously.
• Godless: Not believing in or respecting God; atheistic.
• Ungodly: Wicked or immoral; (informally) can also mean unreasonable (e.g., an ungodly hour).
• Profane: Treating religious things with disrespect or not sacred.
• Disrespectful (for the broader sense): Showing a lack of respect or courtesy.

Antonyms

• Pious: Devoutly religious.
• Reverent: Feeling or showing deep and solemn respect.
• Devout: Having or showing deep religious feeling or commitment.
• Dutiful: Conscientiously or obediently fulfilling one's duty (for the broader sense).

Idioms and Phrases

• While there are no common idioms using "impious" as the core word, the concept is central to phrases like:
  • "Act of impiety": A specific action that shows disrespect for the sacred.

    • Defacing the altar was considered an unforgivable act of impiety.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. lacking due respect or dutifulness
   • impious toward one's parents
   • an undutiful son
2. lacking piety or reverence for a god

Từ đồng nghĩa

• undutiful