Definition of UNHOLY

unholy

Adjective

  • Not sacred; impious or morally bad.
  • not hallowed or consecrated

Adjective Satellite

  • extremely evil or cruel; expressive of cruelty or befitting hell
    • "unholy grimaces"
  • having committed unrighteous acts

Adj

  • Not holy; (by extension) evil, impure, or otherwise perverted.
  • Dreadful, terrible, excessive, or otherwise atrocious.

Examples

  • I've been spending an unholy amount of time trying to write a novel!
  • The priest's unholy behaviour brought the church into disrepute.
  • The UNHOLY number of vowels on his rack made it impossible to form any decent words.
  • What an unholy mess your room is in!

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English unholi, unhaliȝ, from Old English unhāliġ, from Proto-Germanic *unhailagaz, equivalent to un- + holy. Cognate with Scots unhaly, Dutch onheilig, German Low German unhillig, German unheilig, Danish uhellig, Swedish ohelig.

Antonyms

holy

Scrabble Score: 12

unholy: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
unholy: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
unholy: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

unholy: valid Words With Friends Word