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holy

adjective

ˈhō-lē How to pronounce holy (audio)
Definition of holynext
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

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 But Yom Kippur — the holiest of Jewish holidays — starts at sundown Sunday. — Matt Calkins Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026 The Houthis have denied launching an attack on the city, considered the holiest site in Islam. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026 To Dillard, striving to hear the natural world was holy work too. — Isabel Fattal, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026 Mecca is Islam’s holiest site and the focal point of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for holy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holy
  1. pious
  2. sacred
  3. divine
  4. religious
  5. liturgical
  6. heavenly
  7. devout
  8. blessed
Adjective
  • Preachers and patricians constantly warned that, if allowed to live unchecked in the city, Jews would ‘infect’ the Christian faithful, poisoning the minds of the pious and stealing souls away from salvation.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Romania is one of the most pious countries in the European Union, with around 85% of the population identifying as religious.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of pious
Adjective
  • By the time of the witch trial, the sacred building stood stripped of its roofing and outer masonry—a fleshless skeleton; its giant west window glassless, miming a stone scream.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The sanctuary may have been an ambulatory temple, with a central sacred chamber surrounded by a covered walkway.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of sacred
Adjective
  • Devout Catholic soldiers in blue coats and knee-breeches make the sign of the cross, invoking divine protection while performing this dangerous task.
    — Tracey Teo, AJC.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Certainly, the ancient Greeks appreciated symmetry and precision in their architecture; it’s even been hypothesized that this symmetry was considered divine and thus represented religious dedication to the space.
    — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of divine
Adjective
  • Still, Beck didn’t seem to want to talk, in private or in the media, about having grown up as the child of a successful music-industry hustler — much less one who was so proudly and publicly involved with a controversial religious movement.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Researching religious-art theft, Gurrea came across Erik the Belgian, a notorious thief who targeted churches across Spain during the 20th century.
    — Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of religious
Adjective
  • Along with the album, U2 released two surprise EPs this year, Days of Ash and Easter Lily, that turn out to be conceptually linked to the new album via the liturgical calendar, with carnival preceding Lent and Easter.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2026
  • For seventeen years, graduation season had carried a liturgical cadence for him.
    — Benjamin Wofford, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of liturgical
Adjective
  • Stop at downtown Guerneville for a heavenly buttermilk biscuit at Piknik Town Market.
    — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Set on the edge of the Village of Lindos, the heavenly parcel and its glass-like waters are nearly encased by rocks with stretches of smooth sand on either side.
    — Jennifer Tzeses, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of heavenly
Adjective
  • Veach was a devout believer in Jackson, who was undersized at 5-foot-9-ish, and passionately made the case.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026
  • In the post, Henderson, a devout Christian, shared a video clip from Fox News, and quoted Scripture.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of devout
Adjective
  • Thai Buddhists fill a container with blessed water, which is attached to a pulley that leads to the upper part of the chedi.
    — Brooke Schedneck, The Conversation, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Once, in the blessed era before the 24/7 news cycle and the omnipresence of social media, there was a lull in the months after the primary, with campaign activities picking back up around Labor Day.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of blessed

Phrases Containing holy

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hols
holy
holy day
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Cite this Entry

“Holy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holy. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on holy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about holy

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