holiness
Americannoun
-
the quality or state of being holy; sanctity.
- Synonyms:
- saintliness, godliness, blessedness
-
(initial capital letter) a title of the pope, formerly used also of other high ecclesiastics (usually preceded by His orYour ).
noun
noun
Usage
What does holiness mean? Holiness is a state of religious purity or devotion, as in Our faith says that holiness comes from serving other people and praying often.Holiness is also used as a title for some religions’ leaders. If you ever meet the Catholic Church’s Pope or Tibetan Buddhism’s Dalia Lama, you can refer to them as your Holiness.Example: The holiness of this relic is a hotly debated subject in religious circles.
Other Word Forms
- self-holiness noun
Etymology
Origin of holiness
before 900; Middle English holynesse, Old English hālignes. See holy, -ness
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“There’s this idea of this false sense of holiness and that this guy doesn’t belong here,” says McBride.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2025
Nobody calls holiness home—although, ironically, doing so is an all-too-human habit.
From Slate • May 15, 2024
It’s an elegiac relationship, compounded by the recent passing of my grandmother, who embodied holiness and unadulterated love in every sense.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2024
"There can be no mixing, then, of religious beliefs and violence, of holiness and oppression, of religious traditions and sectarianism," Francis said.
From Reuters • Sep. 3, 2023
“With so much holiness bumping up against other holiness, doesn't it seem strange Jerusalem would have had so much fighting?” she said.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
