holier; holiest
1
: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness
2
: divine
for the Lord our God is holy—
Psalms 99:9 (King James Version)
Psalms 99:9 (King James Version)3
: devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity
a holy temple
holy prophets
4
a
: having a divine quality
holy love
b
: venerated as or as if sacred
holy scripture
a holy relic
5
—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 oathThomas Wolfeholy smoke
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
As with any good Southern tradition, part of what makes football season so holy is the food.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 16 Jan. 2025
The collection spans categories like body care — Bath & Body Works’ holy grail — home decor, candles, and beyond, with prices starting at $1.95.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 13 Jan. 2025
Samsung’s current sale is the holy grail of promotions, combining enhanced trade-in prices and money off the device’s headline price.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
His upcoming original series, Lazarus, stacks up even more reasons for newcomers to check it out with action design by John Wick director Chad Stahelski and a score from a holy trinity of musicians: Kamasi Washington, Floating Points, and Bonobo.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for holy 
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Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 16 Jan. 2025
The collection spans categories like body care — Bath & Body Works’ holy grail — home decor, candles, and beyond, with prices starting at $1.95.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 13 Jan. 2025
Samsung’s current sale is the holy grail of promotions, combining enhanced trade-in prices and money off the device’s headline price.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
His upcoming original series, Lazarus, stacks up even more reasons for newcomers to check it out with action design by John Wick director Chad Stahelski and a score from a holy trinity of musicians: Kamasi Washington, Floating Points, and Bonobo.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for holy
Dictionary Entries Near holy
Cite this Entry
“Holy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holy. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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