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holy

holy

925 2.7
Connected to a god or religion and seen as special and pure
  • adjective
  • /ˈhoʊli/
: santo
  • In desperation, his mother sprinkled holy water from Lourdes around his hospital room.
  • Holy Spirit
  • Holy Land
  • Holy See

There is a Surah in the Koran, which is the holy book for Muslims.

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Examples

  • Jacques, disgusted with his father's sentimental laxity, enters into holy orders and becomes a Catholic.

    Academic text (1990)
  • There's something very, very profoundly holy in rest.

  • No weapons allowed in Holy City.

  • According to God's holy law.

  • Many religions would consider his blood holy.

  • They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.

  • OK, But what you got to remember is God is holy, morally perfect.

  • Jerusalem is a holy site, not only for Judaism and Islam, but also for Christianity.

    Academic text (2011)
  • There lay the preserved body of a pope in holy robes, Leo XIII, 1810-1903.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The church was built on a holy site, where many pilgrims come to pray.

Synonyms

sacred
vsholy
306 4.6

Connected to religion and treated with great respect

is a broader religious or divine quality implying purity
divine
vsholy
232 5.3

Relating to God or a god

is a general religious or pure state rather than godlike origin
blessed
vsholy
  • Formal
87 4.8

Viewed as holy and worthy of worship in a religion

is a general religious quality rather than an approved status
hallowed
vsholy
  • Formal
52 7.7

People treat a place or thing as very holy and deserving great respect

is a more general divine or pure connection
consecrated
vsholy
  • Formal
10 7.6

Made holy and set apart for religious use

is broader meaning religious or divine quality not only dedication
sanctified
vsholy
  • Formal
8 7.4

A religious ceremony makes something holy and sets it apart for worship

is a general divine connection rather than a ritual change

Antonyms

18 6.1

Not sacred and not fit for worship

5 6.3

Not related to religion, like everyday life or art

Idioms

holy shit
  • Offensive
169 9.9

A strong phrase people say when they are very surprised or shocked

holy crap
  • Offensive
35 9.6

To say when you are very surprised or shocked

holy cow
  • Informal
29 7.6

A short phrase people say to show surprise or disbelief

holy smoke
  • Informal
14 8.2

A short cry to show strong surprise or admiration

holy moley
  • Informal
3 9.6

A short surprised phrase people say when they are shocked

holy buckets
  • Informal
1 9.9

A short shout that shows surprise or shock

holy macaroni
  • Informal
1 9.6

To show surprise or doubt

holy doodle
  • Informal
9.9

A word people say to show strong surprise

9.9

A short shout to show surprise or amazement

Compounds

114 4.5

The presence of God that Christians believe works in the world to guide and comfort people

Holy Ghost
  • Formal
41 6.7

A spirit of God in Christian belief that guides and comforts people

33 3.8

Water a religious leader blesses and people use in a ceremony to make people and things clean and safe

32 7.2

A thing people try hard to find or achieve as the main goal

29 5.0

A region east of the Mediterranean Sea, mainly Israel and Palestine, that is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims

Holy Father
  • Formal
26 5.6

A title for the Pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church

24 4.9

A man people respect for his strong religious life, like a monk or priest

20 3.5

A place where people go to pray, like a temple or church

Holy Grail
  • Literature
17 8.6

A cup Jesus used at the Last Supper that knights later sought

15 3.4

A day when many people do not work to celebrate or show respect for a religion

10 6.3

A Christian ceremony when people eat bread and drink wine to remember the Last Supper

Holy See
  • Formal
10 7.7

The central government of the Roman Catholic Church that the Pope leads in Vatican City, recognized by many countries

10 7.0

A Christian belief that God is three persons in one

the Holy See
  • Formal
9 7.8

The Pope's government that speaks for the Roman Catholic Church and acts like a small country

Religious books of Christianity that include the Old and New Testaments

5 4.5

A person people respect for being very religious and thought to help others with prayer

holy of holies
  • Literature
4 9.9

A place or thing that people treat as too sacred to change

4 9.9

A Christian who worships with loud, joyful actions like shouting, dancing, or rolling on the floor

holy terror
  • Informal
4 8.9

A child who is very naughty and hard to control

4 4.8

The week before Easter when Christians remember the last days of Jesus' life

One of the two most important Jewish holy days, when Jewish people pray and sometimes fast

3 7.4

A religious ceremony that makes someone a priest or minister

A group of many states in central Europe that an emperor ruled from 962 to 1806

3 9.8

A religious ceremony where Christians bless bread and wine to remember Jesus' Last Supper

The tomb where Christians believe Jesus was placed after his crucifixion and before his resurrection

2 5.3

A woman admired for her strong religious faith and kind actions

Holy Writ
  • Archaic
2 9.2

The sacred writings of Christianity, especially the Bible

2 8.1

A Christian ceremony when people bless and eat bread and wine to remember Jesus' Last Supper

2 6.3

A special oil blessed by a priest for use in religious ceremonies

holy of holies
  • Literature
2 9.9

The innermost sacred room of the ancient Jewish Temple where the Ark was kept

The Thursday before Easter when Christians remember the Last Supper

A ruler of a group of central European territories from about 962 to 1806

Holy City
  • Literature
1 8.8

A sacred, perfect place like Heaven where God lives, often in Christian writing

The Saturday before Easter observed as the last day of Lent

1 9.9

A tall plant with spiky leaves, white marks, and purple flower heads used in herbal medicine

1 9.4

A religious day when Catholics must go to Mass and avoid work

Holy Joe
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A military religious leader who soldiers call as a joke or insult

A religious holiday in the Jewish tradition, like Passover or Yom Kippur

Holy Year
  • Formal
1 8.6

A special Catholic year when people can receive forgiveness and special blessings

A holiday that Christians celebrate, like Christmas or Easter

Holy Willie
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who pretends to be very good and judges others

An armed group in Indonesia that attacks Christians

1 8.2

A Christian day on December 28 that remembers the children King Herod killed in Bethlehem

1 9.9

A plant with pale pink flowers that farmers grow for animal feed and to attract bees

An armed Islamic group that carries out attacks in Kashmir to make it part of Pakistan

A section added to the Book of Daniel containing a prayer and a song by three young men

How Holy

sacrosanct
  • Formal
13 9.1
hallowed
  • Formal
52 7.7
holy
925 2.7
sacred
306 4.6
consecrated
  • Formal
10 7.6

Surface Forms

holy positive
holier comparative
holiest superlative

Etymology

The word holy comes from an old English root hāl meaning 'whole' or 'healthy'. A helpful way to remember this is to think of 'whole' things as complete and set apart from the ordinary, so holy came to mean 'sacred' or 'connected to a god'.