1
: not showing respect for a god or a religion : not holy
an unholy attitude
2
—used to describe people or groups that are working together for a bad purpose
an unholy alliance between politicians and lobbyists
3
always used before a noun informal
: shockingly or surprisingly bad, large, etc.
Our finances were an unholy mess.
They have spent an unholy amount of money on the project.
Cite this Entry
“Unholy.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/unholy. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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