holy

adjective

ho·​ly ˈhō-lē 

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)

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 oath

holy smoke

holily

ˈhō-lə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• devout
• godly
• pious
• religious
• sainted
• saintly

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

My search has led me to one of my holy grails: Clinique’s Moisture Surge Sheertint Hydrator. —Melony Forcier, People.com, 23 Feb. 2025

One of the holy grails of modern astronomy is finding life on an alien planet. —Paul Sutter, Space.com, 21 Feb. 2025

With Seth Meyers had a whole holy host of Saturday Night Live writers on leading up to the anniversary special. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025

Then there’s the holy grail of traditional fishing records: the all-tackle world records, which honor the heaviest fish ever caught with a rod-and-reel. —Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English hālig; akin to Old English hāl whole — more at whole

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing holy

• give (someone) holy hell
• holy city
• holy cow
• holy day
• holy day of obligation
• holy mackerel
• holy matrimony
• holy moly
• holy of holies
• holy oil
• holy order
• holy smoke
• holy terror
• holy trinity
• holy war
• holy water
• holy writ
• the bonds of holy matrimony
• the holy of holies

Rhymes for holy

• coaly
• coli
• foley
• folie
• goalie
• lowly
• moly
• slowly
• tolly
• wholly
• acholi
• emboli

Kids Definition

holy

adjective

ho·​ly ˈhō-lē 

holier; holiest

1

: worthy of complete devotion and trust

2

: divine

3

: set apart to the service of God or a god : sacred

4

: respected as sacred

5

: complete, utter

he is a holy terror

—used in combination as a mild oath

holy cow