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Glite Dictionary
pious platitude

pious platitude

8.8
A religious or moral saying repeated a lot but without real meaning
  • noun
  • /ˈpaɪəs ˈplætɪtud/
  • Literature
translation icon : platitud piadosa
  • The politician's speech was filled with pious platitudes that failed to address real issues.

Examples

  • Instead of offering help, he responded with a pious platitude about patience and faith.

  • We are tired of hearing the same pious platitude every Sunday, with no action to follow.

  • Don't use that pious platitude!

  • Her speech was filled with pious platitudes that failed to resonate.

  • The politician's speech was filled with pious platitudes that failed to address real issues.

  • We are tired of hearing the same pious platitude every Sunday, with no action to follow.

  • Instead of offering help, he responded with a pious platitude about patience and faith.

Synonyms

platitude
vspious platitude
28 7.7

A remark used so often that it sounds dull and gives no new idea

is the same but expressed insincerely with religious or moral pretence
cant
vspious platitude
1 9.5

Talk that pretends to be moral but is not sincere

is more about tired, overused moral statements lacking sincere meaning

Antonyms

sincere
239 2.5

Being honest and showing what you really feel

How Sincere

platitude
28 7.7
pious platitude
  • Literature
8.8
sloganeering
  • Literature
3 8.1

Surface Forms

pious platitude singular
pious platitudes plural

Morphology

pious + platitude

The noun 'platitude' (a dull, unoriginal statement) combined with the adjective 'pious' (religiously devout or showing religious respect) yields a straightforward compositional meaning: a trite or superficially religious/moral statement. This adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and the sense is predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Pious platitude may come from the simple image of a 'flat' saying: pious means religious and platitude means a dull, overused remark. So it describes a religious or moral line that sounds proper but is repeated so much it is 'not sincere' and not really helpful.