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
In Immaculate, Sydney Sweeney stars as Sister Cecilia, who becomes a holy figure to her fellow nuns when she’s found to be pregnant despite being a virgin.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024
The Greeks, led by King Antiochus IV, had sought to suppress Jewish religious practices, outlawed the observance of Judaism, and desecrated the holy Temple in Jerusalem.
—Gail Swedroe, Austin American-Statesman, 19 Dec. 2024
The tablet also instructs adherents to worship on Mount Gerizim, a holy site for Samaritans, near the modern-day city of Nablus.
—Sarah Ventre, NPR, 16 Dec. 2024
Carnot’s reverberating insight emerged from an attempt to exert ultimate control over the clockwork world, the holy grail of the Age of Reason.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for holy 
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Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024
The Greeks, led by King Antiochus IV, had sought to suppress Jewish religious practices, outlawed the observance of Judaism, and desecrated the holy Temple in Jerusalem.
—Gail Swedroe, Austin American-Statesman, 19 Dec. 2024
The tablet also instructs adherents to worship on Mount Gerizim, a holy site for Samaritans, near the modern-day city of Nablus.
—Sarah Ventre, NPR, 16 Dec. 2024
Carnot’s reverberating insight emerged from an attempt to exert ultimate control over the clockwork world, the holy grail of the Age of Reason.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
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 24 Dec. 2024.
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