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)

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 oath

holy smoke

holily

ˈhō-lə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of holy

• pious
• religious
• devout
• reverent
• spiritual

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

At one point in the official music video, Rock appears to be bathed in a holy light and raptured up to heaven, only to be deposited back on stage in his Tupac T-shirt fronting a rock band featuring a gospel choir. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has bundled the four services every pilgrim needs — holy site arrangements, lodging in Mecca and Medina, transport, and catering — into a single electronic agreement on one government platform. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026

How could one holy book give its readers such seemingly contradictory directives? — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

The star has dedicated himself with the fervor of a holy crusader to the notion that, to quote his ex-wife, we are not just entertained but reborn when the lights go down and our collective dreams show up onscreen. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026

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

• give (someone) holy hell
• holy city
• holy cow
• holy day
• holy day of obligation
• holy grail
• holy mackerel
• holy matrimony
• holy moly
• holy of holies
• holy oil
• holy order
• holy smoke
• holy terror
• holy trinity
• holy war
• holy water
• holy writ
• the bonds of holy matrimony
• the holy of holies

Rhymes for holy

• coaly
• coli
• foley
• folie
• goalie
• lowly
• moly
• slowly
• tolly
• wholly
• acholi
• emboli

Kids Definition

holy

adjective

ho·​ly ˈhō-lē 

holier; holiest

1

: worthy of complete devotion and trust

2

: divine

3

: set apart to the service of God or a god : sacred

4

: respected as sacred

5

: complete, utter

he is a holy terror

—used in combination as a mild oath

holy cow