holy

adjective

ho·​ly ˈhō-lē 

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)

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 oath

holy smoke

holily

ˈhō-lə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of holy

• pious
• religious
• devout
• reverent
• spiritual

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

With the White Sox officially in Major League Baseball’s postseason, some joke that the Chicago team may have had a little bit of holy help. — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

As well as being a holy site, Lourdes attracts around 3 million pilgrims a year, including approximately 60,000 sick and disabled pilgrims. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

This holy consciousness recognizes the entirely spiritual nature of reality, which is the eternal truth that links the Bible to Christian Science. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2026

Thin partitions marked an early attempt to slice the space into smaller rooms, but the original brick walls remained bare, shivering with cobwebs, where someone had pasted a picture of a man, holy hands bracketing a redbrick heart. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English hālig; akin to Old English hāl whole — more at whole

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing holy

• give (someone) holy hell
• holy city
• holy cow
• holy day
• holy day of obligation
• holy grail
• holy mackerel
• holy matrimony
• holy moly
• holy of holies
• holy oil
• holy order
• holy smoke
• holy terror
• holy trinity
• holy war
• holy water
• holy writ
• the bonds of holy matrimony
• the holy of holies

Rhymes for holy

• coaly
• coli
• foley
• folie
• goalie
• lowly
• moly
• slowly
• tolly
• wholly
• acholi
• emboli

Kids Definition

holy

adjective

ho·​ly ˈhō-lē 

holier; holiest

1

: worthy of complete devotion and trust

2

: divine

3

: set apart to the service of God or a god : sacred

4

: respected as sacred

5

: complete, utter

he is a holy terror

—used in combination as a mild oath

holy cow