holiness

noun ho·li·ness \ ˈhō-lē-nəs \

Definition of holiness

1 :the quality or state of being holy —used as a title for various high religious dignitaries

His Holiness the Pope

2 :sanctification 2

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Examples of holiness in a Sentence

the holiness of this sacred place
known throughout the world for his holiness, the prophet was visited daily by hundreds of pilgrims

Recent Examples of holiness from the Web

Also read: He was named a chaplain to His Holiness in 2005; and at the time of his death, Monsignor Lentine was the oldest serving pastor in the archdiocese.

— perry a. farrell, Detroit Free Press, "Monsignor Peter Lentine, oldest serving Archdiocese pastor in Detroit, dies at 98," 3 Aug. 2017
And so, the Torah gives us a most appropriate reading for Shabbat Nahamu, the Shabbat of comfort — a portion that describes reality, yet emerges with the promise of seeking out God and returning to a path of connection and holiness.

— rabbi avi weiss, Jewish Journal, "Weiss: The challenges of life in exile," 31 July 2017
Surely, his life as a simple, faithful priest offers an inspiring model of holiness.

— jeff cimmino, National Review, "Remembering Father Jacques Hamel, One Year after His Murder," 29 July 2017
Often her complexion takes the palest possible hue, apparently connoting holiness and innocence.

— katie edwards, Washington Post, "How Beyoncé’s Virgin Mary imagery challenges racist, religious and sexual stereotypes," 14 July 2017
Why was the first holiness finite and the second eternal?

— rabbi avi weiss, Jewish Journal, "Weiss: The key to Israel's everlasting holiness," 12 June 2017
There is a holiness in one’s duty to be as productive as possible.

— chuck plunkett, The Denver Post, "For Dick Lamm, an end-of-life question of another sort," 26 May 2017
In days, her tweet racked up over 130,000 RTs and 200,000 favorites, with many users reporting goosebumps and feelings of holiness.

— noelle devoe, Seventeen, "You Won't Be Able to Watch This Girl Singing Into a Well Without Getting Goosebumps," 5 Apr. 2017
Having the holiness in myself makes me good, not killing anyone or criticizing anyone.

— julia wallace, New York Times, "The Bucolic Life of a Cambodian Grandmother Accused of Mass Killings," 24 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'holiness.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of holiness

before 12th century

holiness Synonyms

Synonyms

blessedness, devoutness, godliness, piety, piousness, sainthood, saintliness, saintship, sanctity

Antonyms

godlessness, impiety, ungodliness, unholiness

Related Words

asceticism, devotion, morality, prayerfulness, religiousness, spirituality; priestliness; goodness, rectitude, righteousness, uprightness, virtue, virtuousness; consecration, sacredness

Near Antonyms

blasphemousness, irreverence, sacrilegiousness; depravedness, depravity, evilness, heinousness, monstrosity, sinfulness, vileness, wickedness; hypocrisy, sanctimoniousness, sanctimony

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

holiness

adjective, often capitalized

Definition of holiness

:emphasizing the doctrine of the second blessing; specifically :of or relating to a perfectionist movement arising in U.S. Protestantism in the late 19th century