1
as in pious
showing a devotion to God and to a life of virtue
the holy monk spent many hours on his knees in prayer
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2
as in sacred
set apart or worthy of veneration by association with God
the Torah contains the holy writings of Judaism
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3
as in divine
of, relating to, or being God
the Holy Trinity
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4
as in pure
not to be violated, criticized, or tampered with
the hour every Saturday she listens to her radio program is holy and you'd better not make her miss it
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of holy
Who knew that banning books, paying teachers pitiful salaries and threatening them with jail if they were caught with salacious book titles would be the holy grail of student success.
—
Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
Alternatively, Augustus thrives when picking Chola India (Gold and Happiness abound), Hawai'i (great expansion and growth), Mongolia (holy mother of expansion), Normans (more expansion), and Shawnee (potent Town benefits).
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Cowboy Carter didn't rope us in like that holy trifecta of albums, and a win for the diva in this category this year would essentially be a lifetime achievement award for the most important artist of the 21st century.
—Jason Lamphier, EW.com, 1 Feb. 2025
The label’s Orange tab, for one, is a holy grail for 1960s-era flared jeans; the Silver tab reflects grungier styles from the 1980s and 1990s.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for holy 
Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
Alternatively, Augustus thrives when picking Chola India (Gold and Happiness abound), Hawai'i (great expansion and growth), Mongolia (holy mother of expansion), Normans (more expansion), and Shawnee (potent Town benefits).
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Cowboy Carter didn't rope us in like that holy trifecta of albums, and a win for the diva in this category this year would essentially be a lifetime achievement award for the most important artist of the 21st century.
—Jason Lamphier, EW.com, 1 Feb. 2025
The label’s Orange tab, for one, is a holy grail for 1960s-era flared jeans; the Silver tab reflects grungier styles from the 1980s and 1990s.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for holy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holy
Adjective
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Advertisement Nazanin goes through the same preparations as Salme, who has turned supremely pious in the intervening years, and Zari, who has grown more level-headed, not to say jaded.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2025
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If some punters were irritatingly pious, many also had the time of their life.—
Martin McKenzie-Murray,
SPIN,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But the performer invited to take on this onerous task nearly always agrees, because there is no platform like that one in this country—a great equalizer stage, a microcosm of all things sacred and profane.—
Doreen St. Félix,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
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Police reported the stampede occurred as hundreds of millions of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred waters on the most auspicious day of the festival.—
Kyra Colah,
Fox News,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Identical in composition, indistinguishable to the human eye, but, according to the natural diamond industry, lacking in that all-important divine provenance.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
7 Feb. 2025
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Everything is either a complete accident or divine providence, the movie suggests.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But the Supreme Court justices in recent years have already undone a number of limits on religion in the public square — like affirming a public school football coach’s right to pray on the field with his players, or requiring school voucher eligibility for religious schools.—
Ian Max Stevenson,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Feb. 2025
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Rome allowed local religious authorities some measure of influence and control, and in this city, that was the Jewish council who oversaw religious life.—
Lynne Silva-Breen,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Similar to Western astrology's elements (fire, water, earth, air), Chinese zodiacs pair with one of the five elements in the heavenly frequency (wood, fire, earth, metal, water).—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
29 Jan. 2025
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The heavenly ruler promised that if the snake won a race competition against the other animals, which would eventually dictate the order of the zodiac, the snake could win a prize and potentially get his legs back.—
Kimmy Yam,
NBC News,
29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Her father, a devout Catholic, later took the throne as James II.—
Sarah Holzmann,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 Feb. 2025
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Benson, a devout Catholic and close friend of local Archbishop Gregory Aymond, shared Bensel’s offer to help Aymond prepare for the fallout, according to the reports.—
Mark Puleo,
The Athletic,
4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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His progression has been superb since breaking into the first team, and those around the club feel blessed to have such a talent on their hands.—
Pol Ballús,
The Athletic,
3 Feb. 2025
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Mendez wears the blessed boxers for every game and only washes them when the team loses.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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His live version from Live at Sin-e is a reverent prayer, as spiritual, sensual and truthful as any song will ever hear.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
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Lying underneath a reverent mural of George Washington, Carter’s casket was surrounded by a silent crowd of mourners and military guards.—
Christopher Cann,
USA TODAY,
9 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near holy
Cite this Entry
“Holy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holy. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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