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)
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 oathThomas Wolfeholy smoke
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
Monday was also the first day of one of the holiest periods in Islam as millions embark on pilgrimage.
—Sarah Hassaine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2026
Speakers said the spot was once the temple of the confederacy and became holy ground of the civil rights movement.
—Kim Chandler, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
The beach, the pool and a boat are the holy trinity of the White Lotus universe, and Martinez has them all.
—Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
His new film Fatherland, like Cold War and Ida, is shot in a lustrous monochrome that turns shadows into punctuation marks and sunbeams into something holy, and that makes its performers, chief among them an incredible Sandra Hüller, look lit from within.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holy
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sarah Hassaine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2026
Speakers said the spot was once the temple of the confederacy and became holy ground of the civil rights movement.
—Kim Chandler, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
The beach, the pool and a boat are the holy trinity of the White Lotus universe, and Martinez has them all.
—Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
His new film Fatherland, like Cold War and Ida, is shot in a lustrous monochrome that turns shadows into punctuation marks and sunbeams into something holy, and that makes its performers, chief among them an incredible Sandra Hüller, look lit from within.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holy
Cite this Entry
“Holy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holy. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
