Standard Lemma guide

godliness

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɡɒd.li.nəs/
  • General-American: /ˈɡɑd.li.nəs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The condition and quality of being godly, pious, scrupulously observant of all the teachings of one's religion, practicing virtue and avoiding sin.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: angelicalness, saintlikeness, saintliness, virtuousness, angelicality, angelicity, angelicness, decency, godliness, honesty, honor, integrity, probity, propriety, rectitude, righteousness, rightfulness, seemlihood, seemliness, uprightness

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

piety by virtue of being a godly person

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: ungodliness

Broader terms: piety, piousness

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English godly Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English godliness From godly + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: وَرَع (waraʕ) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Arabic: تَقْوَى (taqwā) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Bulgarian: набожност (nabožnost) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Bulgarian: благочестивост (blagočestivost) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 虔誠 /虔诚 (qiánchéng) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Finnish: jumalallisuus — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Finnish: jumalisuus — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Finnish: jumalaisuus — the condition and quality of being godly
  • French: piété — the condition and quality of being godly
  • German: Göttlichkeit — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐌿𐌳𐌴𐌹 (gagudei) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Hebrew: אלוהות (elohút) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Hindi: देवत्व (devatva) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Italian: religiosità — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Italian: devozione — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Italian: pietas — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Japanese: 信心深さ (shinjin fukasa) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Macedonian: побожност (pobožnost) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Macedonian: набожност (nabožnost) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Polish: pobożność — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Polish: bogobojność — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Portuguese: religiosidade — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Russian: благоче́стие (blagočéstije) — the condition and quality of being godly
  • Russian: на́божность (nábožnostʹ) — the condition and quality of being godly