Devotion

noun

/dɪˈvəʊʃən/

Profound love, loyalty, and dedication to a deity or spiritual practice, especially the intensely personal and emotional attachment between a devotee and God that forms the core of the Bhakti tradition.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The success of India's grassroots welfare schemes ultimately rests less on budgetary outlays than on the quiet devotion of frontline functionaries such as ASHA and anganwadi workers, whose sustained commitment converts policy on paper into tangible change in the lives of the rural poor.

Synonyms

dedicationcommitmentloyaltyfidelityallegiancepiety

Antonyms

indifferencedisloyaltyapathynegligence

🌱 Word Family

devote (v), devoted (adj), devotedly (adv), devotee (n), devotional (adj)

🔡 Root

Latin dēvovēre = to vow, dedicate; dē- = completely + vovēre = to vow; noun dēvōtiō

📜 Etymology

From Old French devocion, from Latin dēvōtiō ("act of consecrating by a vow"), from dēvovēre ("to vow, dedicate"), combining dē- ("down, completely") and vovēre ("to vow"); in Church Latin it acquired the sense of "piety, devotion to God."

🧠 Memory Hook

Devotion contains a "vow" (Latin vovere, "to vow) — to be devoted is to live by a binding vow of love and loyalty.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2022 — Art & Culture
Prelims 2020 — Ancient India
Mains 2022 · GS4 · 10 marks — Ethics in Public Administration

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Devotion” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

🏛️ History & Culture 📖 Seen in: Bhakti & Sufi Movements

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