pi ‧ ous /ˈpaɪəs/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: pius ]
1 . having strong religious beliefs, and showing this in the way you behave ⇨ piety :
He was a quiet, pious man.
2 . if you describe what someone says as pious talk, words etc, you mean that they are trying to sound good or moral but you do not believe that they are sincere or will really do what they say:
pious speeches by politicians about ‘family values’
3 . pious hope/wish something that you want to be true or to happen, but that is very unlikely:
All these agreements and ideas remain little more than pious hopes in the present climate.
—piously adverb