godly

adjective

god·​ly ˈgäd-lē 

godlier; godliest

1

: divine

2

: pious, devout

godliness noun

godly adverb archaic

Synonyms

• devout
• holy
• pious
• religious
• sainted
• saintly

Examples of godly in a Sentence

She lived a godly life.

a godly and humble man who will be richly rewarded in the next world

Recent Examples on the Web

America’s least godly president went to church surrounded by his most ardent supporters, still unrepentant for ghastly sins against our republic, most notably his inspiration of the Jan. 6 insurrection that attempted to overthrow an election in 2020. —David Mastio, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2025

Money, fame, power and godly wisdom, for which he was known everywhere. —Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 30 Jan. 2025

From the beginning, people saw optimization as a godly power. —Sigal Samuel, Vox, 6 Jan. 2025

Ovid’s godly characters are whittled down to basic geometric forms like ovoid shapes and cones that together recount the tale in some of the world’s most phonetically complex languages, such as Abkhaz from Abkhazia, Chatino from inland Oaxaca, and Silbo Gomero from La Gomera in the Canary Islands. —Mariana Fernández, ARTnews.com, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

godly

adjective

god·​ly ˈgäd-lē 

 also  ˈgȯd-

godlier; godliest

: pious sense 1, devout

a godly person

godliness noun