holy

adjective

ho·ly ˈhō-lē

holier; holiest

Synonyms of holy next

: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness

: divine

for the Lord our God is holy—

Psalms 99:9 (King James Version)

: devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity

a holy temple

holy prophets

: having a divine quality

holy love

: venerated as or as if sacred

holy scripture

a holy relic

—used as an intensive

this is a holy mess

he was a holy terror when he drank—

Thomas Wolfe

—often used in combination as a mild oath

holy smoke

holily

ˈhō-lə-lē

adverb

Examples of holy in a Sentence

a holy relic worn by one of the saints the holy monk spent many hours on his knees in prayer

Recent Examples on the Web This time around, the haunting lady is tearing a bloody swath through Europe and seeking a powerful holy relic. —

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2023 The band serenaded those inside, many sitting in front of large stands of red flowers, others lighting candles and still others lined up to pray before a holy painting of Maria Santissima Lauretana, a name for the Catholic Virgin Mary. —

Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2023 To my knowledge, among Latter-day Saints, the business of being and acting holy is not scripted out in detail. —

Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 25 Aug. 2023 The missing wristwatch has long been considered a holy grail for collectors and could be one of the most valuable timepieces in the world. —

Andy Hoffman, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2023 Although that false claim is based on a statistical fallacy, many in my generation believe disparate-impact analysis to be the holy grail of legal thought. —

Caleb Nunes, National Review, 8 Sep. 2023 Water ice on the moon – discovered by NASA and India – is the holy grail of future lunar exploration. —

George Petras, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2023 With more heat and more heat waves expected in the years ahead, cooling is becoming a holy grail for garment makers. —

Bloomberg Wire, Dallas News, 2 Sep. 2023 For modern masters of the universe, there is no holy grail like a Patek. —

Leena Kim, Town & Country, 1 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'holy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.