Entry Word: holy

Function: adjective

Meaning: 1 showing a devotion to God and to a life of virtue <the holy monk spent many hours on his knees in prayer>

Synonyms devout, godly, pious, religious, sainted, saintly

Related Words ascetic, prayerful, reverent, reverential, spiritual, worshipful; beatified, blessed, canonized, venerable; angelic (or angelical), cherubic; chaste, pure, righteous, virtuous

Near Antonyms blasphemous, desecrating, irreverent, profane, sacrilegious, unspiritual; backsliding, unfaithful; sinful, sinning, wicked

Antonyms faithless, godless, impious, irreligious, ungodly, unholy

2 set apart or worthy of veneration by association with God <the Torah contains the holy writings of Judaism>

Synonyms blessed, consecrated, hallowed, sacred, sacrosanct, sanctified

Related Words adored, enshrined, glorified, revered, venerated, worshipped (also worshiped); ceremonial, liturgical, priestly, religious, ritual, spiritual; biblical, scriptural

Near Antonyms nonreligious, unspiritual; earthly, mundane, secular, temporal, worldly

Antonyms unconsecrated, unhallowed, unsanctified

3 of, relating to, or being God <the Holy Trinity>

Synonyms blessed, divine, godlike, heavenly, sacred, supernatural

Related Words eternal, everlasting, immortal; almighty, omnipotent, omniscient, supreme

Near Antonyms human, mortal

4 not to be violated, criticized, or tampered with <the hour every Saturday she listens to her radio program is holy and youʼd better not make her miss it> — see sacred 1