religious

religious — adjective

1. Connected to the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or to the systems, writ

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

Connected to the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or to the systems, writings, buildings, and traditions that grow from that belief.

Example

The museum has a large collection of religious art from medieval Europe.

attributive use: religious art / religious studies

Xiu's family follows several religious traditions during the New Year festival.

Common collocations
  • religious belief
  • religious faith
  • religious tradition
  • religious ceremony
  • religious text
  • religious leader
  • religious group
  • religious freedom
Synonyms
  • spiritual

    broader — can refer to personal experiences of the divine without formal religion

  • sacred

    describes things that are holy or set apart, not people or institutions

  • theological

    more academic — relates to the formal study of God and religious doctrines

Antonyms
  • secular

    not connected to religion or church

  • non-religious

    neutral term for anything unrelated to religion

Grammar Patterns

religious + noun

Usage Note

Attributive use before nouns (religious belief, religious text) is more common than predicative use.

Common Mistakes

She is very religious but does not believe in God.
She is very spiritual but does not believe in God.
'Religious' typically implies connection to an organized belief system; 'spiritual' is better for personal, non-institutional faith.

2. Having firm faith in one or more sacred beings and living by the practices of th

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

Having firm faith in one or more sacred beings and living by the practices of that faith.

Example

Rafael is a deeply religious man who prays every morning before breakfast.

be + deeply religious

The religious members of the village gather at the temple each Sunday.

Common collocations
  • deeply religious
  • strongly religious
  • religious person
  • religious family
  • religious community
Synonyms
  • devout

    stronger and more formal — suggests deep, sincere religious feeling

  • pious

    can have a slightly negative tone of showing off one's faith

  • faithful

    emphasizes loyalty and commitment to a religion

Antonyms
  • irreligious

    showing a lack of belief or disregard for religion

  • godless

    stronger, often disapproving, term for lack of belief

Grammar Patterns

be/become + religious

deeply / strongly + religious

Usage Note

Describes a person's personal devotion and religious practice, not the official doctrine of a religion.

Common Mistakes

He is religious to his church, attending every year once.
He is religious and goes to church every week.
'Religious' describes a person's general devotion, not frequency of attending a specific place.

3. Extremely careful and thorough in how you do something, as if following strict r

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

Extremely careful and thorough in how you do something, as if following strict rules that must never be broken.

Example

Eshe cleans the kitchen with religious care, scrubbing every corner twice.

collocation: religious care / religious precision

Matthew follows his morning routine with almost religious attention to detail.

Common collocations
  • religious care
  • religious attention
  • religious precision
  • religious about
  • religiously (adverb)
Synonyms
  • scrupulous

    direct synonym — equally formal, emphasizes moral attention to detail

  • conscientious

    neutral and common — describes a careful, responsible person

  • meticulous

    describes extreme attention to small details

Antonyms
  • careless

    not giving enough attention to what you do

  • slapdash

    done too quickly and without care

Grammar Patterns

religious + about + noun/gerund

religious + noun (figurative use)

Usage Note

This is a figurative extension of the literal meaning — it describes the quality of being thorough and attentive, not actual religious faith. Common in adverb form 'religiously' (e.g., 'She exercises religiously').

Common Mistakes

He is religious about his work, meaning he goes to church every day.
He is religiously careful about his work.
When describing extreme care, the figurative use needs context to avoid confusion with actual religious devotion.

religious — noun

Word family

  • religion
    nounB1
  • religiously
    adverbB2
  • religiosity
    nounC1
  • irreligious
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Religious is the broadest term, covering anything connected to organized belief systems about a god or gods — including institutions, writings, buildings, and practices. Spiritual emphasizes a person's inner experience of the divine, which may not involve any formal religion at all. Sacred refers specifically to things that are set apart as holy or worthy of special respect (sacred texts, sacred spaces). Theological relates to the academic study of God and religious beliefs (theological debate, theological college). Ecclesiastical pertains specifically to the Christian church and its organizational structure (ecclesiastical law, ecclesiastical hierarchy). For example: 'She has a spiritual outlook but does not follow any religious institution. He studied theological arguments about sacred texts at an ecclesiastical university.'

religious ↗spiritual ↗sacred ↗theological ↗ecclesiastical

Common collocations

Nouns

  • religious belief
  • religious faith
  • religious practice
  • religious ceremony
  • religious tradition
  • religious text
  • religious leader
  • religious community
  • religious group
  • religious order
  • religious freedom
  • religious experience

Adverbs

  • deeply religious
  • strongly religious
  • devoutly religious
  • fervently religious

Phrases

  • freedom of religious expression
  • religious and secular
  • religious or spiritual

Prepositions

  • religious about (figurative, sense 3)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Religious entered English in the 13th century from Old French 'religieux', which came from Latin 'religiosus' meaning 'pious, devout, reverent'. The Latin root 'religio' referred to reverence for the gods, religious scruple, or conscientiousness — a double meaning that the English word still carries today in its literal and figurative senses.