Holy Trinity

noun

1

: trinity sense 1

According to legend, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Celts.

—Rosemary Ellen Guiley

2

or holy trinity

a

: a group of three things or people regarded as having fundamental importance or prominence in a particular place or area of interest or activity

By September, the region's famous foliage is emerging, the air is crisp, and it's prime time for the first two sports of the Woodstock Holy Trinity of fishing, biking, and skiing.

—National Geographic

I grew up in a town so white that our celebrity holy trinity consisted of Martha Stewart, Paul Newman, and Jason Robards.

—Robert Wilder

Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, the holy trinity of young ice-cream purists …

—Pierre Franey

… mocks the holy trinity of the art world—sex, drugs and pretension.

—Maria Simson

b

cooking : the combination of onion, bell pepper, and celery as it is employed in Cajun and Creole cuisine

Almost every traditional Cajun recipe calls for the merged flavors of the Holy Trinity to serve as its underpinning, rendering the three aromatic vegetables the most prized ingredients of all in New Orleans cookery.

—Lia Ryerson

Examples of Holy Trinity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One such tradition: a devotion to Christmas, which remains evident each December, as visitors can meet reindeer-in-training at Grandpa Tiny’s Heritage Farm or see the upside-down Christmas tree at the Bavarian Inn Lodge, a nod to the German tradition in which the tree represented the Holy Trinity. —Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 20 Oct. 2025

Parking will be available at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 600 East Blvd., and early arrival is encouraged. —Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 19 Sep. 2025

Anyone who wants to join the search for Logan Sampson can visit Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New Prague. —Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025

In October 2024, Rocky Mountain Outlook noted that Okotoks' Holy Trinity Academy's field was transformed into the site of a Silver Falls football game. —Jordana Comiter, People.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Holy Trinity

• alkalinity
• consanguinity
• crystallinity
• femininity
• masculinity
• affinity
• divinity
• infinity
• salinity
• vicinity
• virginity