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
There is some irony that the lawmakers working on the bill with preliminary votes on both Saturday and Sunday, the Jewish Sabbath and the Christian Sabbath, violated the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025
The march commemorates Jerusalem Day, which marks Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 Mideast war.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
Below, shop the 13 best ceramide moisturizers recommended by experts, along with holy grail picks from Vogue editors themselves.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 26 May 2025
Then, after nearly five years of the plaza hosting moments both horrifying and holy, a Republican congressman from Georgia introduced a bill that would have withheld federal funding from Washington, DC, unless the mural was erased.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for holy
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New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025
The march commemorates Jerusalem Day, which marks Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 Mideast war.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
Below, shop the 13 best ceramide moisturizers recommended by experts, along with holy grail picks from Vogue editors themselves.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 26 May 2025
Then, after nearly five years of the plaza hosting moments both horrifying and holy, a Republican congressman from Georgia introduced a bill that would have withheld federal funding from Washington, DC, unless the mural was erased.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for holy
Cite this Entry
“Holy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holy. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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