unholy en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ʌnˈhəʊli/
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.
Meanings
-
Not holy; (by extension) evil, impure, or otherwise perverted.
“Florida has struck an unholy bargain with the Trump administration,” one speaker said. “People are not getting food, hygiene, or medical care. These conditions are substandard and cause irreparable harm.”
2025 August 1, Jamie Guirola, “'Alligator Alcatraz' detainees on hunger strike for 10th day, protesting conditions”, in NBC News, archived from the original on 08 Aug 2025:Presently, however, this pleasing piece was interrupted. Suddenly there was a slight commotion, and a large powerful woman, whom I had noted as one of the most vigorous of the dancers, came, made mad and drunken with unholy excitement, bounding and staggering towards us, shrieking out as she came: - `I want a Black Goat, I must have a Black Goat, bring me a Black Goat!' and down she fell upon the rocky floor foaming and writhing, and shrieking for a Black Goat, about as hideous a spectacle as can well be conceived.
1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:Essentially, the problem dates back to pre-privatisation, cost-driven British Rail practices which featured an unholy pact between management and unions, whereby management was able to employ fewer drivers and limited pension cost liabilities, while drivers were able to hoover up lots of lucrative Sunday overtime.
2022 November 16, Nigel Harris, “Endless news... little context”, in RAIL, number 970, page 3:The priest's unholy behaviour brought the church into disrepute.
-
Dreadful, terrible, excessive, or otherwise atrocious.
What an unholy mess your room is in!
I've been spending an unholy amount of time trying to write a novel!
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| unholier | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most unholy | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more unholy | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| unholiest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
heavenly · divine · holy · hallowed · celestial · sanctimonious · holy · godly · sacred · holy · blessed · devoutful
Deriveds
unholy trinity · unholily · unholy alliance · unholy water · unholiness
Hyponyms
infernal · diabolical · godforsaken · sinful
Synonyms
impious · common · unholy · profane · mishallowed · unhallowed · mishallowed · profane · impure
Translations (56)
fi epäpyhä (not holy; evil) · fr impie (not holy; evil) · de unheilig (not holy; evil) · tr şeytanî (not holy; evil) · tr kem (not holy; evil) · hu borzalmas (dreadful) · pdt onheilich (not holy; evil) · nl slecht (not holy; evil) · tr kötü (not holy; evil) · es horroroso (dreadful) · cmn 邪惡的 /邪恶的 (not holy; evil) · fi jumalaton (not holy; evil) · hu gonosz (not holy; evil) · hu irtózatos (dreadful) · ro rău (not holy; evil) · te అపవిత్ర (not holy; evil) · cmn 過度的 /过度的 (dreadful) · fr maléfique (not holy; evil) · ro nesfânt (not holy; evil) · got 𐌿𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌺𐌽𐍃 (not holy; evil) · cmn 玷污的 (not holy; evil) · hu pokoli (dreadful) · grc ἀνόσιος (not holy; evil) · cmn 令人髮指的 /令人发指的 (dreadful) · fr sacré (dreadful) · nl kwaad (not holy; evil) · nl onheilig (not holy; evil) · ru порочный (not holy; evil) · hu rettenetes (dreadful) · nl boosaardig (not holy; evil) · fr foutu (dreadful) · hi अपवित्र (not holy; evil) · cmn 褻瀆的 /亵渎的 (not holy; evil) · hu szörnyű (dreadful) · bg нечестив (not holy; evil) · cmn 駭人聽聞的 /骇人听闻的 (dreadful) · cmn 可怕的 (dreadful) · cmn 不聖潔的 /不圣洁的 (not holy; evil) · ru нечестивый (not holy; evil) · nl boos (not holy; evil) · hu elvetemült (not holy; evil) · te అపవిత్రమైన (not holy; evil) · nl euvel (not holy; evil) · fr atroce (dreadful) · fi jumalaton (dreadful) · fi kaamea (dreadful) · cmn 污穢的 /污秽的 (not holy; evil) · nl kwaadaardig (not holy; evil) · tr fena (not holy; evil) · hu istentelen (not holy; evil) · ro afurisit (not holy; evil) · cmn 暴虐的 (dreadful) · es impío (not holy; evil) · hu szentségtelen (not holy; evil) · hu rémes (dreadful) · vo nesaludik (not holy; evil)