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
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2
as in sacred
set apart or worthy of veneration by association with God
the Torah contains the holy writings of Judaism
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3
as in divine
of, relating to, or being God
the Holy Trinity
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of holy
The site is also considered holy by Jews, as well as Christians.
—
Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Art, resistance, and community, a holy trinity.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Warren fought like holy heck to play through the pain.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 1 June 2026
More deeply, San Diego’s Muslims have been puzzling over the roots of the hatred that sent two young men into a holy place with the intent to commit mass murder.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holy
Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Art, resistance, and community, a holy trinity.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Warren fought like holy heck to play through the pain.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 1 June 2026
More deeply, San Diego’s Muslims have been puzzling over the roots of the hatred that sent two young men into a holy place with the intent to commit mass murder.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holy
Adjective
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However, this distinction did more than pit pious Americans against an atheist enemy.—
David Williamson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
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The aim wasn’t to make the chatbot Bible-thumping or pious.—
Chris Stokel-Walker,
Scientific American,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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The Midwest is home to the history of sophisticated Indigenous villages and sacred landscapes.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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That trust is sacred and, once broken, merits better safeguards against the perpetual threat of regular folks paying more.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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At the time, many people saw disasters mainly as acts of divine punishment.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
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Beauty, then, arises from the pain and struggle of experiencing oneself as a site of divine truancy, and ugly is that which pretends to be directly equivalent to the soul, God, etc.—
Esther Yi,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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For modern scholars of religious and social history, cheese is not the most exciting part of this discovery.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The neighborhood is near major religious sites Abu Diab’s neighborhood, al-Bustan, extends through a valley just outside the Old City, with the dome of the Al-Aqsa Mosque visible above the towering walls.—
Sam Mednick,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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The Vatican authorized Esperanto for liturgical use decades ago, and Radio Vaticana still publishes news and papal updates in Esperanto online three times a week.—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
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The document has been commented on more widely than previous popes’ encyclicals, which traditionally have been heavy on turgid liturgical language.—
Claudio Lavanga,
NBC news,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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For a slightly more filling appetizer, look no further than these crowd-pleasing mini ham sandwiches coated in a heavenly butter-mustard mixture.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
4 Dec. 2025
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In India, over 2,000 years ago, Lyra was seen as a heavenly vulture, as contrary as that sounds.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
23 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The governor and first lady Maria Lee, both devout Christians, have been involved in missionary work and have helped refugees in the Nashville area.—
Kelly Puente,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
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One episode focuses on Sollecito’s plight, equal to yet overshadowed by his ex-girlfriend’s; Mignini, a devout Catholic who lost his father at an early age, is developed beyond a cartoon villain.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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There's lots of things going on for her so an interruption is a blessed relief for her.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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And the blessed thing that happened was Julie became part of my career.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
17 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Holy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holy. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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