as in atheistical
not showing proper reverence for the holy or sacred
an impious act that horrified their pious mother
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Recent Examples of impious
This game must have seemed profane to the Greeks, or even impious.
—
Simone Weil, Harper's Magazine, 2 July 2024
Both narratives, private and public, differently restrict our access, so the ideal historian will need great tact and an impious curiosity.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
Sarah Thompson, the MFA’s curator of Japanese Art, and curatorial assistant Kendall DeBoer, who put the show’s more than 350 works together, deserve credit for being impious, not reverent.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Mar. 2023
Some seem startlingly impious.
—Lidija Haas, Harper's Magazine, 18 Aug. 2020
To cut short these death throes is both impious (for those who believe) and immoral (for anyone).
—Michel Houellebecq, Harper’s Magazine , 6 Jan. 2023
Bragadin’s cash was funding heavy gambling and elaborate, impious scenes of seduction.
—Clare Bucknell, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
Simone Weil, Harper's Magazine, 2 July 2024
Both narratives, private and public, differently restrict our access, so the ideal historian will need great tact and an impious curiosity.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
Sarah Thompson, the MFA’s curator of Japanese Art, and curatorial assistant Kendall DeBoer, who put the show’s more than 350 works together, deserve credit for being impious, not reverent.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Mar. 2023
Some seem startlingly impious.
—Lidija Haas, Harper's Magazine, 18 Aug. 2020
To cut short these death throes is both impious (for those who believe) and immoral (for anyone).
—Michel Houellebecq, Harper’s Magazine , 6 Jan. 2023
Bragadin’s cash was funding heavy gambling and elaborate, impious scenes of seduction.
—Clare Bucknell, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impious
Adjective
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Loading your audio article SAN FRANCISCO — NBA commissioner Adam Silver understandably defended mounting criticism of the 3-point shot, and saying anything else would have been sacrilegious in the house Steph Curry built with his unparalleled 3-point prowess.—
Cam Inman,
The Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2025
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Some fans will think supporting two different teams, let alone rivals, is sacrilegious.—
Charlotte Harpur,
The Athletic,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Jones is 6'4, right handed, physical, and does all that on the worst team in the league, but Leafs fans act like paying him 9.5M is blasphemous.—
Kevin Papetti,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
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Many Muslims found some of the depictions offensive and even blasphemous.—
Lola Fadulu,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This expansion of cooperation in Israel’s energy security with Azerbaijan – a secular state with a Muslim Shi’a majority, builds on over thirty years of cordial relations and joint projects in defense, energy, culture, air transportation, and foreign policy.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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The book boldly subverts the standard view of Pakistani politics as a contest of dueling binaries, religious and secular, military and civilian.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The inherent humor of Hollywood’s most coveted prize residing alongside everyday items has made this image a favorite of irreverent hotels and restaurants around the world.—
Scott Feinberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
2 Mar. 2025
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Kieran Culkin’s good at being cocky and irreverent, and both of those characters have that.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
15 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impious. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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