ungodly

adjective

un·​god·​ly ˌən-ˈgäd-lē 

 also  -ˈgȯd-

1

a

: denying or disobeying God : impious, irreligious

… the listener fancied that he could distinguish the accents of towns-people of his own, men and women, both pious and ungodly …

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

b

: contrary to moral law : sinful, wicked

… he was himself so wicked a creature, and his own conscience so reproached him with his horrid, ungodly life …

—Daniel Defoe

Look at what's happened to our ozone layer … ! We have destroyed this planet with our ungodly ways!

—John Way

2

a

: outrageous

gets up at an ungodly hour

… this sandwich has an impressive nuanced batter that for some ungodly reason is lost on the rest of the fast food community.

—The Catalyst: Colorado College

b

: far exceeding the ordinary, usual, or expected

an ungodly feat

ungodly speeds

In the blackened interior of the smokehouse hang enormous hams, some an ungodly fifty-five pounds. "People want a large ham," Guier comments modestly.

—Matt Kramer

c

: severely objectionable to the senses

an ungodly smell

The bark of a fox, ungodly screech of a coon, … and the howls and yips of coyote all travel far on the still, damp night air.

—M. L. Wells

ungodly adverb

The most dramatic, commonly noted phenomenon of deserts is that they are ungodly hot and dry.

—Bil Gilbert

In each case, an ungodly rich person made a crazy-rich person even richer.

—Rick Reilly

Examples of ungodly in a Sentence

What an ungodly racket they're making!

Recent Examples on the Web

Each checkpoint starts and ends in the middle of the ocean on the Sinister, which means an ungodly amount of swimming. —Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2025

The dreadful inscribing machine and its ungodly purpose are described in meticulous detail—their spectacular efficiency and even more spectacular collapse. —Joy Williams, Harper's Magazine, 2 May 2024

Oh, and he’s taken an ungodly number of hits while barely missing a single snap. —Kevin Fishbain, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024

Through a melodic flow of political parlance and an impressive stable of sprightly actors, creator Debora Cahn stages a spirited play about political relationships — and relationship politics — that never feels stodgy or stupefying, despite an ungodly amount of dialogue. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing ungodly

• ungodly hour

Kids Definition

ungodly

adjective

un·​god·​ly ˌən-ˈgäd-lē 

 also  -ˈgȯd-

1

a

: denying God : impious, irreligious

b

: sinful, wicked

2

: outrageous

gets up at an ungodly hour

ungodliness noun