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
The newfangled tiny church of the holy recycler that sets up shop in a strip mall in Cambridge is the same — in the eyes of the law — as the behemoth religions of Judaism, and Christianity.
—Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2025
Thieving, hostage taking monkeys are as common as pilgrims in Vrindavan, a holy Hindu town by the Yamuna river in northern India.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 5 Jan. 2025
In Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions, holy texts have often been used, though not without controversy.
—Michelle Aroney and David Zeitlyn, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Second, the petition invokes the three decisions that have become the holy trinity of challenges to the wall between church and state.
—Peter Greene, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for holy 
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Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2025
Thieving, hostage taking monkeys are as common as pilgrims in Vrindavan, a holy Hindu town by the Yamuna river in northern India.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 5 Jan. 2025
In Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions, holy texts have often been used, though not without controversy.
—Michelle Aroney and David Zeitlyn, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Second, the petition invokes the three decisions that have become the holy trinity of challenges to the wall between church and state.
—Peter Greene, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for holy
Dictionary Entries Near holy
Cite this Entry
“Holy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holy. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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