Meaning of holy in English:

holy

Pronunciation /ˈhəʊli/

See synonyms for holy

Translate holy into Spanish

adjectiveadjective holier, adjective holiest

1Dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred.
‘the Holy Bible’
- ‘the holy month of Ramadan’
- ‘At the same time, we are committed to free access and free practice, to the members of the other two religions, to the holy shrines in Jerusalem.’
- ‘His act of praying transforms the cityscape into a sacred space and holy ground.’
- ‘He put the turban upon his head and set the gold rosette as symbol of holy dedication on the front of the turban as the Lord had commanded him.’
- ‘When we act in a holy way, sanctifying His Name and creation itself, then, the Presence of God becomes more accessible to man, and nature stands aside for God.’
- ‘For the holy month culminates in a prescribed annual almsgiving, amounting to a tax on one's wealth and property, to be distributed in the coming year to those in need.’
- ‘When a temporary lifting of the curfew was announced in Jenin on the fourth day of the holy month of Ramadan in November 2002, the happiest of all were the children.’
- ‘Friday is the completion of the holy month of Ramadaan.’
- ‘It just so happened that my trip coincided with the holy month of Ramadan.’
- ‘Three of the employees, who are Muslims refused to shave because it was holy month of Ramadan.’
- ‘The day is among the most holy in the religion, a celebration of the birth of Christ, His salvation.’
- ‘An elderly man, presumably seeking to protect the sanctity of this holy site, was shouting after them.’
- ‘They brimmed with religious symbols, holy images and bible stories.’
- ‘Each house and shop set up altars in their doorways or windows with religious statues or holy pictures mixed with fresh flowers.’
- ‘There are two main Muslim holidays: Eid Al-Fitr is a three-day festival at the end of the holy month of fasting, Ramadan.’
- ‘In India, tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims jostled to take holy baths in the sacred River Ganges after performing special prayers for ancestors during the eclipse.’
- ‘However, he goes on to suggest that merely because these views are expressed in a religion's holy book, it is not fair to assume that all religious leaders accept them.’
- ‘Place the letter in a sealed envelope, and put it in the Bible or in the holy book of your spiritual tradition.’
- ‘In the ancient times each of the items corresponded to one of the seven creations and the seven holy immortals protecting them.’
- ‘Some were holding wooden crosses, prayer books, and other holy objects to ward off the evil spirits.’
sacred, consecrated, hallowed, sanctified, venerated, revered, reverenced, divine, religious, blessed, blest, dedicated
View synonyms
1. 1.1(of a person) devoted to the service of God.
  ‘saints and holy men’
  ‘What do the lives and service of holy women teach us about ordaining women?’
  ‘It also seems right to think that among such holy people, the broken, addicted, and deceived of our world will see the true way of life with its promise of healing, freedom, and peace.’
  ‘He was a very holy person who had a real interest in people.’
  ‘The Hindu holy men personally served food, mainly fruits and yogurts, to the guests.’
  ‘She became a constant visitor to the holy women of White Church’
  ‘Even though he thinks a lot of archaic things, he did dedicate his life to helping people, and I truly believe that he meant to do right in everything he did and that he was in fact a very holy man.’
  ‘Surely the pilgrim was innocent, and a most holy man.’
  ‘After we were married, she continued to go to church while I stayed home and burned sweet grass and tried to be an Indian holy man.’
  ‘Father Joseph was not your average holy man, he had a message - a message still relevant in today's hi-tech world.’
  ‘Iraq's most influential holy man returned to Najaf today in a bid to make peace.’
  ‘From his garb I see that he is a Swami, a Hindu holy man.’
  ‘The holy man quickly surmises the scale of the problem.’
  ‘These are people totally dedicated to God, holy ones.’
  ‘To her he was godlike, noble, excellent, all but holy.’
  ‘What I want to see are holy bishops who take seriously the spiritual condition of both the victims and the accused.’
  saintly, godly, saintlike, pious, pietistic, religious, devout, God-fearing, spiritual, canonized, beatified, ordained, deified
  View synonyms
2. 1.2Morally and spiritually excellent.
  ‘I do not lead a holy life’
  ‘As a result my picture hopefully has a holy spiritual quality.’
  ‘Real prayer isn't about showing how good, holy or spiritual you are.’
  ‘They were men, holy and angelic in spirit, who preached the word of Allâh in different times and climes and in every land.’
  ‘And within the latter community there are deep divisions, many due to the further attempt to discriminate between those who are or are not holy or Spirit-filled.’
  ‘At the same time, it opens you to a respect and a reverence in fact, for what is true and holy in other religions.’
  ‘God created every human being to fulfill a purpose that is both holy and productive.’
2 dated, humorous Used in exclamations of surprise or dismay.
‘holy smoke!’
- ‘But holy smoke, are their doughnuts amazing or what?’
- ‘So he had to be pretty sharp and he fell in love with a girl who he thought he was going to spend a weekend with, it happened to a lot of people, holy God, he was hooked.’
- ‘And I knew immediately, holy heavens, we are under attack.’
- ‘Holy smoke, what will the world come to next???!!!’
- ‘Now, 8 years later (holy moly where does time go?) I want to utilize the skills and knowledge that I've learned along the way to help others create roots to begin their business doing what they love to do.’