unholy

American  

[uhn-hoh-lee] / ʌnˈhoʊ li /

adjective

unholier, unholiest

1. not holy; not sacred or hallowed.

2. impious; sinful; wicked.

3. Informal. dreadful; ungodly.

   They got us out of bed at the unholy hour of three in the morning.

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unholy British  

/ ʌnˈhəʊlɪ /

adjective

1. not holy or sacred

2. immoral or depraved

3. informal outrageous or unnatural

   an unholy alliance

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Other Word Forms

• unholiness noun

Etymology

Origin of unholy

before 1000; Middle English; Old English unhālig (cognate with Dutch onheilig, Old Norse ūheilagr ). See un- ¹, holy

Example Sentences

Another opponent, Lord Patten, branded the bill an "unholy legislative mess" that he said could lead to death becoming the "default solution to perceived suffering".

From BBC

Now one of Egypt's most sacred places - revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims - is at the heart of an unholy row over plans to turn it into a new tourism mega-project.

From BBC

“You had to pick which side of the contradiction to embrace, or else record the whole unholy snarl itself.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

We gather today to celebrate the motel, a uniquely American creature, conceived in California through the unholy embrace of the automobile and the hotel.

From Los Angeles Times