unholy

[ uhn-hoh-lee ]

adjective

, un·ho·li·er, un·ho·li·est.

1. not holy; not sacred or hallowed.
2. impious; sinful; wicked.
3. Informal. dreadful; ungodly:

   They got us out of bed at the unholy hour of three in the morning.

unholy

/ ʌnˈhəʊlɪ /

adjective

1. not holy or sacred
2. immoral or depraved
3. informal.
   outrageous or unnatural

   an unholy alliance

Derived Forms

• unˈholiness, noun

Other Words From

• un·holi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unholy¹

before 1000; Middle English; Old English unhālig (cognate with Dutch onheilig, Old Norse ūheilagr ). See un- ¹, holy

Example Sentences

Using the imagery of crusades, he assailed “the late unholy war with the Indians” and the “wicked crusade against the peace of Mexico” during the 1830s.

From Salon

“The Democratic Party was predicated on what really is an unholy alliance between working-class people of colour and wealthier white progressives driven and animated by cultural issues,” Madrid said.

From BBC

Musk also benefited from an unholy alliance with a broader universe of “manosphere” influencers, extremely online extremists, and Democrat-to-Trumpist converts.

From Slate

A line-up that also includes Northern Irish rock musician and frontman of The Answer and the Unholy Gospel, Cormac Neeson.

From BBC

Forget about the divine right of kings: The vying monarchs of “Henry 6” are forced to appeal to military might and unholy alliances.

From Los Angeles Times