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

The bronze 28-foot statue is just one spiritual stop of the park's seven holy shrines. —Amelia Benavides-Colón, Detroit Free Press, 13 May 2024

Whoopi Goldberg's holy mission to the Vatican may have rounded out the cast for her long-gestating Sister Act 3 movie. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 9 May 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