holy

American  

[hoh-lee] / ˈhoʊ li /

adjective

holier, holiest

1. specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use or authority; consecrated.

   holy ground.

   Synonyms:

   blessed

2. dedicated or devoted to the service of God, the church, or religion.

   a holy man.

3. saintly; godly; pious; devout.

   a holy life.

   Antonyms:

   impious, corrupt

4. having a spiritually pure quality.

   a holy love.

   Synonyms:

   spiritual

   Antonyms:

   impious, corrupt

5. entitled to worship or veneration as or as if sacred.

   a holy relic.

6. religious.

   holy rites.

7. inspiring fear, awe, or grave distress.

   The director, when angry, is a holy terror.

8. (used in certain interjections to express surprise, bewilderment, or wonder, as in holy cow andholy smoke. )

---

noun

plural

holies

1. a place of worship; sacred place; sanctuary.

holy British  

/ ˈhəʊlɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or associated with God or a deity; sacred

2. endowed or invested with extreme purity or sublimity

3. devout, godly, or virtuous

4. offensively sanctimonious or self-righteous

   a holier-than-thou attitude

5. 1. a difficult or frightening person

   2. informal a person who is an active gambler, womanizer, etc

---

noun

1. 1. a sacred place

   2. (functioning as plural) persons or things invested with holiness

Related Words

Holy, sacred, consecrated, hallowed imply possession of a sanctity that is the object of religious veneration. Holy refers to the divine, that which has its sanctity directly from God or is connected with Him: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Something that is sacred, while sometimes accepted as entitled to religious veneration, may have its sanctity from human authority: a sacred oath. Something that is consecrated is specially or formally dedicated to some religious use: a life consecrated to service. Something that is hallowed has been made holy by being worshiped: a hallowed shrine.

Etymology

Origin of holy

First recorded before 900; Middle English holi, Old English hālig, variant of hāleg, equivalent to hāl whole + -eg -y ¹; cognate with Dutch, German heilig, Old Norse heilagr

Example Sentences

How did an obscure startup in Finland beat Toyota, Stellantis and the entire nation of China to the holy grail of energy storage?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

This year Nowruz should have been even more special, since it coincides with Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Some players, including Ronnie O'Sullivan and Iran's Hossein Vafaei, have criticised the venue for being too small but 2005 champion Shaun Murphy called it "holy ground" for competitors.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Bangladesh shut universities and brought forward the Eid holidays, the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, to limit electricity consumption.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

With his neatly groomed white beard and distinguished features, he had the bearing of a holy tzaddik.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• divine
• hallowed
• humble
• pure
• revered
• righteous
• spiritual
• sublime