ungodly

adjective

un·​god·​ly ˌən-ˈgäd-lē 

 also  -ˈgȯd-

1

a

: denying or disobeying God : impious, irreligious

… the listener fancied that he could distinguish the accents of towns-people of his own, men and women, both pious and ungodly …

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

b

: contrary to moral law : sinful, wicked

… he was himself so wicked a creature, and his own conscience so reproached him with his horrid, ungodly life …

—Daniel Defoe

Look at what's happened to our ozone layer … ! We have destroyed this planet with our ungodly ways!

—John Way

2

a

: outrageous

gets up at an ungodly hour

… this sandwich has an impressive nuanced batter that for some ungodly reason is lost on the rest of the fast food community.

—The Catalyst: Colorado College

b

: far exceeding the ordinary, usual, or expected

an ungodly feat

ungodly speeds

In the blackened interior of the smokehouse hang enormous hams, some an ungodly fifty-five pounds. "People want a large ham," Guier comments modestly.

—Matt Kramer

c

: severely objectionable to the senses

an ungodly smell

The bark of a fox, ungodly screech of a coon, … and the howls and yips of coyote all travel far on the still, damp night air.

—M. L. Wells

ungodly adverb

The most dramatic, commonly noted phenomenon of deserts is that they are ungodly hot and dry.

—Bil Gilbert

In each case, an ungodly rich person made a crazy-rich person even richer.

—Rick Reilly

Examples of ungodly in a Sentence

What an ungodly racket they're making!

Recent Examples on the Web

Mainly because soul tie enthusiasts don’t do a good job delineating the difference between godly and ungodly connections. —Dominique Fluker, Essence, 27 Mar. 2025

The plan is to engineer it for an ungodly output of 1,500 hp, while keeping its weight just under 1,543 lb (700 kg). —New Atlas, 2 Jan. 2025

This brings us back to Dallas, where the QB is uniquely positioned to leverage the Cowboys into paying him an ungodly amount of money. —Austin Mock, The Athletic, 8 Aug. 2024

Each checkpoint starts and ends in the middle of the ocean on the Sinister, which means an ungodly amount of swimming. —Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing ungodly

• ungodly hour

Rhymes for ungodly

• broadly
• godly
• oddly

Kids Definition

ungodly

adjective

un·​god·​ly ˌən-ˈgäd-lē 

 also  -ˈgȯd-

1

a

: denying God : impious, irreligious

b

: sinful, wicked

2

: outrageous

gets up at an ungodly hour

ungodliness noun