1
as in pious
showing a devotion to God and to a life of virtue
the holy monk spent many hours on his knees in prayer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sacred
set apart or worthy of veneration by association with God
the Torah contains the holy writings of Judaism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in divine
of, relating to, or being God
the Holy Trinity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in pure
not to be violated, criticized, or tampered with
the hour every Saturday she listens to her radio program is holy and you'd better not make her miss it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of holy
Hello from the Milken conference in Beverly Hills, the birthplace and holy temple of confidence men.
—
Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 6 May 2026
The 13 holy men, from southern villages and towns, including Rmeich, Ain Ebel, Debel, and Marjayoun, were pleasantly surprised.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
My parents had been dreaming of visiting a holy site in southern France for decades when the opportunity to go finally arose.
—Mary Beth Skylis, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2026
Stripped of its holy residents, the abbey took on a new life as the headquarters of a company that mined the local iron ore, which was destined for the infrastructure of a rapidly industrializing Europe.
—CBS News, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holy
Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 6 May 2026
The 13 holy men, from southern villages and towns, including Rmeich, Ain Ebel, Debel, and Marjayoun, were pleasantly surprised.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
My parents had been dreaming of visiting a holy site in southern France for decades when the opportunity to go finally arose.
—Mary Beth Skylis, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2026
Stripped of its holy residents, the abbey took on a new life as the headquarters of a company that mined the local iron ore, which was destined for the infrastructure of a rapidly industrializing Europe.
—CBS News, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holy
Adjective
-
As Mildred Layton, the pious pastor’s wife first played on screen by Kristin Chenoweth, Ana Gasteyer is in her element.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The Colombian grandmother of my childhood summers was funny, mean, pious, and hard—despite being tremendously sensitive in her own way.—
Adriana E. Ramírez,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Worshippers lit candles, read sacred texts and wrote wishes on eggs later placed in a sacred cave within the complex, a tradition believed to bring blessings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
-
Set the scene The beautiful Peloponnese, a few hours from Athens and near sacred Mount Taygetos.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Doors can open in your professional life, whether through charm and strategy or divine timing.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Riefenstahl was an expert at using lighting and shadows, of creating a sense of patriotism and glory and even divine mandate.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The office also pointed to efforts to expand security funding for religious institutions, strengthen hate crime laws and support Holocaust and genocide education initiatives.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
Inspired by Renaissance paintings, Balenciaga creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli reimagined Yai as the Black Madonna, a figure seen throughout religious art.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Leo presided over the service sitting off to the side of the altar on a white throne, wearing his formal red cape and liturgical stole and praying with a Rosary in his hands.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Although the pope celebrates mass regularly on Sundays, feast days, and many other occasions, the Urbi et Orbi blessing is much rarer, reserved for solemn events in the church’s liturgical calendar.—
Leo XIV,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Hathaway’s White Queen floats with sweet highs and dark lows, her heavenly air masking a morbid psychosis.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
This grand pavilion was built to resemble the Palace of the Moon in Jade City in the heavenly realm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
The series written by Tolkien, a devout Catholic, became a popular franchise with conservatives.—
Alexander Hall,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
There are other surprises in store for even the most devout Frankenthaler fans.—
Grace Edquist,
Vogue,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
On Good Friday, there was a Yankees Opening Day game played in the afternoon hours, which coincided with this most blessed holiday.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
April is a blessed month for genre fans, because as well as Thrash, Netflix is gifting us with another potentially-awesome-but-likely-terrible film with the survival thriller Apex, which premieres on April 24.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holy. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
