Wholly imitated by the pious (4)

I believe the answer is:

holy

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'the pious' is the definition.
(both mean religious)

I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for holy that I've seen before include "Sacred" , "Devout" , "Dedicated to God" , "perfect, morally and spiritually" , "Divine" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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