unholy
Americanadjective
-
not holy; not sacred or hallowed.
-
impious; sinful; wicked.
-
Informal. dreadful; ungodly.
They got us out of bed at the unholy hour of three in the morning.
adjective
-
not holy or sacred
-
immoral or depraved
-
informal outrageous or unnatural
an unholy alliance
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unholy
before 1000; Middle English; Old English unhālig (cognate with Dutch onheilig, Old Norse ūheilagr ). See un- 1, holy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The so-called "unholy alliance" - a play on the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity - is made up of Museveni, Kainerugaba, and the president's powerful brother and special adviser, Salim Saleh.
From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026
A God’s-eye view captures sparks and flames tearing a circle around his unholy play.
From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026
An unholy specimen, a building creature that is sufficiently weird, necessary, and profitable to wriggle to life in the city’s stifling landscape of land-use regulations: the double duplex.
From Slate • Jul. 31, 2025
My fiancee Roxana qualifies for sainthood because whenever we go out, she must patiently wait for me to get dressed, which takes forever and is accompanied by the unholy sounds of struggle.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2025
“Imagine what unholy things a lesser man must hold within his secret heart.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
