holy
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- devout, god-fearing, godly, pious, pure, religious, righteous, saintly, virtuous
- sacred, blessed, consecrated, hallowed, sacrosanct, sanctified, venerable

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Antonyms: unholy
Related Words: adored, glorified, revered, reverenced, venerated, worshiped, divine, religious, spiritual

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English Thesaurus: holy, sacred, divine, spiritual, hallowed, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ho‧ly W3 /ˈhəʊli $ ˈhoʊ-/ adjective (comparative holier, superlative holiest)
[Language: Old English; Origin: halig]

1. connected with God and religion ⇒ sacred:
the holy city of Varanasi

2. very religious:
a holy man

3. holy cow/mackerel etc spoken used to express feelings such as surprise or fear

4. a holy terror informal someone, especially a child, who causes problems for other people
⇒ take (holy) orders at order¹(18)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

holy [usually before noun] connected with God and religion, and therefore treated in a special way – used especially in the following phrases:
the Holy Bible
the holy city of Mecca
a Hindu holy man
They believe they are fighting a holy war.
The priest puts some holy water on the child’s head.
sacred connected with God and religion, and therefore treated in a special way – used especially in the following phrases:
This place is sacred to both Jews and Muslims.
In India, cows are considered sacred.
the Hindu sacred texts
sacred music
a sacred ritual
divine relating to or coming from God:
the divine right of kings
divine justice
divine providence
Human love should be a reflection of divine love, and so not be selfish or cruel.
spiritual relating to the soul, the spirit, and religion, and not with physical things or ordinary human activities:
Your spiritual life is far more important than any material things you could acquire.
the spiritual leader of the Tibetans
hallowed a hallowed place is considered to be very holy:
He was buried in hallowed ground.
The Golden Temple is Sikhism’s most hallowed shrine.
blessed made holy by God – used especially about saints:
the blessed Virgin Mary

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

religious relating to religion:
the country's religious leaders
the importance of religious freedom
spiritual relating to matters of the human spirit, rather than the physical world:
The Dalai Lamai is the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet.
We tend to ignore people's spriritual needs, and focus too much on material things.
spiritual values
holy [usually before noun] connected with God and religion, and therefore treated in a special way – used especially in the following phrases:
the Holy Bible
the holy city of Mecca
a Hindu holy man
They believe they are fighting a holy war.
The priest puts some holy water on the child's head.
sacred connected with God and religion, and therefore treated in a special way – used especially in the following phrases:
This place is sacred to both Jews and Muslims.
In India, cows are considered sacred.
the Hindu sacred texts
sacred music
a sacred ritual
theological relating to the study of religion or to religious beliefs:
a theological debate
theological training
secular not relating to religion or controlled by a religious authority:
secular education
secular matters
In the UK we live in a much more secular society.
devout having a very strong belief in a religion:
a devout Catholic
orthodox believing in the traditional beliefs, laws, and practices of a religion:
orthodox Jews
atheist noun, adjective someone who does not believe that God exists:
She says she is an atheist.
atheist propaganda
agnostic noun, adjective someone who believes that people cannot know whether God exists or not:
I think I'd describe myself as an agnostic.
a group of prominent agnostic scientists

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲