religiosity means the quality of being religious or pious, especially when zealous. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 77 out of 100.
religiosity is pronounced /ɹɪˌlɪd͡ʒɪˈɒsɪti/.
Why “religiosity” is a great word
RELIGIOSITY — [Noun] An intense or exaggerated religious feeling, often characterized by a conspicuous or affected piety and zeal. From the Latin religiōsitās, from religiōsus ("religious, pious") + -itās ("-ity, forming abstract nouns"). First attested in Middle English (1350–1400) as a borrowing from French and Latin. Unlike "piety," which suggests a sincere, often private reverence, or "secularism," which denotes a principled separation from religious affairs, religiosity foregrounds the performance of belief. It is the ostentatious crossing in a crowded street, the unnaturally sonorous voice in communal prayer, and the polished, unopened family bible on the parlour table—a faith grown loud to drown out its own quiet doubts, casting a longer shadow than the light it claims to follow.
noun
- The quality of being religious or pious, especially when zealous.““At least part of the stir over Carter’s shirtsleeve religiosity is that he seems to practice what he preaches,” Newsweek magazine mused a few days after the “born again” question made headlines across the country. “Kennedy went to Mass and Richard Nixon spoke affectionately of his Quaker mother, but neither appeared to be truly religious.””