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

• devout
• godly
• pious
• religious
• sainted
• saintly

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

Essentially, the deal can also further one of the holy grails of he Brazilian and Spanish-language industries in Latin America: a more fluid release of Spanish-language – here Uruguayan films – in the huge market of São Paulo and beyond, and the release of Brazilian films in Uruguay. —John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Dec. 2024

And there’s this large spectrum of religious horror and holy horror across film. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2024

Pinkas believes Trump wants to secure what Biden failed to achieve: normalization of Israel’s relations with Arab countries, the holy grail of Middle East diplomacy. —Nic Robertson, CNN, 25 Nov. 2024

The Kingdom holds unique influence in the Arab and Islamic worlds due to its custodianship of Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2024

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 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

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