Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

holy

American  
[hoh-lee] / ˈhoʊ li /

adjective

holier, holiest

  1. specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use or authority; consecrated.

    holy ground.
    Synonyms:
    blessed

  2. dedicated or devoted to the service of God, the church, or religion.

    a holy man.

  3. saintly; godly; pious; devout.

    a holy life.
    Antonyms:
    impious, corrupt

  4. having a spiritually pure quality.

    a holy love.
    Synonyms:
    spiritual
    Antonyms:
    impious, corrupt

  5. entitled to worship or veneration as or as if sacred.

    a holy relic.

  6. religious.

    holy rites.

  7. inspiring fear, awe, or grave distress.

    The director, when angry, is a holy terror.

  8. (used in certain interjections to express surprise, bewilderment, or wonder, as in holy cow andholy smoke. )

noun

plural

holies

  1. a place of worship; sacred place; sanctuary.

holy British  
/ ˈhəʊlɪ /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or associated with God or a deity; sacred

  2. endowed or invested with extreme purity or sublimity

  3. devout, godly, or virtuous

  4. offensively sanctimonious or self-righteous

    a holier-than-thou attitude

    1. a difficult or frightening person

    2. informal a person who is an active gambler, womanizer, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

    1. a sacred place

    2. (functioning as plural) persons or things invested with holiness

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

Holy, sacred, consecrated, hallowed imply possession of a sanctity that is the object of religious veneration. Holy refers to the divine, that which has its sanctity directly from God or is connected with Him: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Something that is sacred, while sometimes accepted as entitled to religious veneration, may have its sanctity from human authority: a sacred oath. Something that is consecrated is specially or formally dedicated to some religious use: a life consecrated to service. Something that is hallowed has been made holy by being worshiped: a hallowed shrine.

Etymology

Origin of holy

First recorded before 900; Middle English holi, Old English hālig, variant of hāleg, equivalent to hāl whole + -eg -y 1; cognate with Dutch, German heilig, Old Norse heilagr

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.