holy
adjective
ho·ly ˈhō-lē 
holier; holiest
1
: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness
2
: divine
for the Lord our God is holy 
Psalms 99:9 (King James Version)
Psalms 99:9 (King James Version)3
: devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity
a holy temple
holy prophets
4
a
: having a divine quality
holy love
b
: venerated as or as if sacred
holy scripture
a holy relic
5
—used as an intensive
this is a holy messhe was a holy terror when he drank Thomas Wolfe
—often used in combination as a mild oath Thomas Wolfe holy smoke
holily
ˈhō-lə-lē
adverb 
Synonyms
- devout
- godly
- pious
- religious
- sainted
- saintly
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a holy relic worn by one of the saints the holy monk spent many hours on his knees in prayer
Recent Examples on the Web Controversial saint Father Junípero Serra, seen as a colonizer by some and a holy man byothers, oversaw construction carried out by Spaniards and Kizh Mission Indians of San Gabriel. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2022 Her melismatic runs sent a female congregant into spasms of holy hysterics. Robert Marovich, WSJ, 10 Sep. 2022 Stockholm may be the capital of Sweden, but for the ABBA-obsessed, this is the musical holy land. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2022 Some leave Middle-earth and journey west to Valinor, the holy land of the angelic Valar. Christian Holub, EW.com, 14 June 2022 During these days, the Hajj pilgrimage takes place in the sanctuary of Mecca and its nearby holy land. Manal Aman, Woman's Day, 9 June 2022 Lately, the Japanese arcade chain Round1 has installed locations across the US; but outside of that, the typical American has almost no access to the thousands of authentic arcade machines that brought glory to Japan as the holy land of gaming. Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, 14 Jan. 2022 Those debtors who died without leaving enough money to cover their remaining debts were denied a Christian burial, their very bodies unwelcome on holy land. Kristin Collier, Longreads, 1 Dec. 2021 His devotion to this holy land began as far back as 1950 when his first wife and 2-year-old son died in a house fire. Dave Lieber, Dallas News, 17 Sep. 2021 See More
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2022 Her melismatic runs sent a female congregant into spasms of holy hysterics. Robert Marovich, WSJ, 10 Sep. 2022 Stockholm may be the capital of Sweden, but for the ABBA-obsessed, this is the musical holy land. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2022 Some leave Middle-earth and journey west to Valinor, the holy land of the angelic Valar. Christian Holub, EW.com, 14 June 2022 During these days, the Hajj pilgrimage takes place in the sanctuary of Mecca and its nearby holy land. Manal Aman, Woman's Day, 9 June 2022 Lately, the Japanese arcade chain Round1 has installed locations across the US; but outside of that, the typical American has almost no access to the thousands of authentic arcade machines that brought glory to Japan as the holy land of gaming. Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, 14 Jan. 2022 Those debtors who died without leaving enough money to cover their remaining debts were denied a Christian burial, their very bodies unwelcome on holy land. Kristin Collier, Longreads, 1 Dec. 2021 His devotion to this holy land began as far back as 1950 when his first wife and 2-year-old son died in a house fire. Dave Lieber, Dallas News, 17 Sep. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English hālig; akin to Old English hāl whole — more at whole
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing holy
Kids Definition
holy
adjective
ho·ly ˈhō-lē
holier; holiest
1
: set apart for the service of God or of a divine being : sacred
a holy temple
2
: being a deity
the holy Lord God
3
—used in exclamations to indicate surprise or excitement
Holy mackerel! You won!
holy
adjective
1
as in pious
showing a devotion to God and to a life of virtue the holy monk spent many hours on his knees in prayer Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- pious
- religious
- devout
- spiritual
- reverent
- godly
- saintly
- sainted
- ascetic
- worshipful
- blessed
- venerable
- reverential
- ascetical
- prayerful
- pure
- righteous
- virtuous
- chaste
- moral
- religiose
- angelic
- pietistic
- canonized
- angelical
- blest
- beatified
- upright
- cherubic
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unholy
- godless
- impious
- ungodly
- irreligious
- faithless
- blasphemous
- secular
- profane
- sacrilegious
- irreverent
- antireligious
- worldly
- sinful
- desecrating
- nonreligious
- evil
- unspiritual
- unfaithful
- wicked
- immoral
- unrighteous
- profanatory
- iniquitous
- backsliding
- sinning
- miscreant
2
as in sacred
set apart or worthy of veneration by association with God the Torah contains the holy writings of Judaism Synonyms & Similar Words
- sacred
- sanctified
- consecrated
- liturgical
- religious
- consecrate
- venerated
- biblical
- revered
- sacral
- blessed
- sacrosanct
- spiritual
- ceremonial
- blest
- worshipped
- hallowed
- ritual
- sacramental
- worshiped
- scriptural
- priestly
- adored
- glorified
- enshrined
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unconsecrated
- secular
- unhallowed
- earthly
- desacralized
- profane
- worldly
- temporal
- nonreligious
- mundane
- deconsecrated
- unspiritual
3
as in divine
of, relating to, or being God the Holy Trinity Synonyms & Similar Words
- divine
- sacred
- heavenly
- blessed
- godly
- eternal
- godlike
- supernatural
- blest
- supreme
- immortal
- everlasting
- almighty
- omnipotent
- omniscient
- all-powerful
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- human
- mortal
- natural
4
as in pure
not to be violated, criticized, or tampered with the hour every Saturday she listens to her radio program is holy and you'd better not make her miss it Synonyms & Similar Words
- sacred
- pure
- inviolable
- untouchable
- protected
- sacrosanct
- unassailable
- hallowed
- privileged
- inviolate
- exempt
- immune
- secure
- shielded
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- blasphemous
- irreverent
- profane
- sacrilegious