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 mess
he was a holy terror when he drank—Thomas Wolfe
—often used in combination as a mild oathThomas Wolfeholy smoke
Examples of holy in a Sentence
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
On social media, the holy grail of Frye boot finds are the pairs that have been passed down over generations.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 31 Oct. 2024
In Hollywood's relentless pursuit of reliable box office returns, pre-existing intellectual property has become the holy grail.
—Damion Taylor, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
The good news is that my holy grail vacuum is currently up to $150 off at Walmart.
—Ali Faccenda, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
In August 2016, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names announced the Harney name would be removed, and the landmark would henceforth be known as Black Elk Peak, for the legendary Lakota warrior and holy man.
—Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for holy 
Sam Reed, Glamour, 31 Oct. 2024
In Hollywood's relentless pursuit of reliable box office returns, pre-existing intellectual property has become the holy grail.
—Damion Taylor, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
The good news is that my holy grail vacuum is currently up to $150 off at Walmart.
—Ali Faccenda, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
In August 2016, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names announced the Harney name would be removed, and the landmark would henceforth be known as Black Elk Peak, for the legendary Lakota warrior and holy man.
—Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for holy
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'holy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near holy
Cite this Entry
“Holy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holy. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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