1
as in pious
showing a devotion to God and to a life of virtue
the holy monk spent many hours on his knees in prayer
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2
as in sacred
set apart or worthy of veneration by association with God
the Torah contains the holy writings of Judaism
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3
as in divine
of, relating to, or being God
the Holy Trinity
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4
as in pure
not to be violated, criticized, or tampered with
the hour every Saturday she listens to her radio program is holy and you'd better not make her miss it
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of holy
On social media, the holy grail of Frye boot finds are the pairs that have been passed down over generations.
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Sam Reed, Glamour, 31 Oct. 2024
In Hollywood's relentless pursuit of reliable box office returns, pre-existing intellectual property has become the holy grail.
—Damion Taylor, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
The good news is that my holy grail vacuum is currently up to $150 off at Walmart.
—Ali Faccenda, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
In August 2016, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names announced the Harney name would be removed, and the landmark would henceforth be known as Black Elk Peak, for the legendary Lakota warrior and holy man.
—Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for holy 
Sam Reed, Glamour, 31 Oct. 2024
In Hollywood's relentless pursuit of reliable box office returns, pre-existing intellectual property has become the holy grail.
—Damion Taylor, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
The good news is that my holy grail vacuum is currently up to $150 off at Walmart.
—Ali Faccenda, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
In August 2016, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names announced the Harney name would be removed, and the landmark would henceforth be known as Black Elk Peak, for the legendary Lakota warrior and holy man.
—Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for holy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holy
Adjective
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Paxton, pious to the end, responds by talking about the Great Prayer Experiment, a (very real) series of studies that sought to test whether prayer has any tangible healing impact — and conclusively found there to be not.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
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Like his father, the junior Winthrop was a pious Christian.Ed Simon, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
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And first-century Celtic druids apparently used mistletoe to make a sacred fertility elixir—one historic use that presaged the plant’s now-dominant identity as an excuse for kissing.Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
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Cacao was used by the pre-Columbian populations of the Maya and Aztecs, who venerated it as a sacred food.Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2024
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But their partnership begins to fray when a divine spirit informs Sister Deborah that a Black woman, not a Black Jesus, will save them.Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2024
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The food was divine (Isle of Wight tomatoes!), the decor magical.Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
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Consistent with the religious theme of God as love, the Bible contains unending comfort from God and God’s agents not to be afraid.Walt Shelton, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
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McGuigan’s cover of the religious standard, given a wide release earlier this month, has been used in a variety of ways on TikTok, from post-U.S.-election content to sports teams’ uploads and much more.Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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For ultra luxury, the Château Saint-Martin is a heavenly retreat recently nominated for a number of awards, including France's Best Hotel Spa 2024.Alexandra Zagalsky, theweek, 1 Nov. 2024
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Matthew Perry joins a heavenly chorus of pop stars—including Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury and Whitney Houston—as the greatest earners in the great beyond.Lisette Voytko-Best, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
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Here, the Pacifica played with devout focus, bringing us into the territory of late Beethoven and late Shostakovich.Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
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But that is exactly what the 72-year-old devout Catholic and grandmother has become to some in this northern California county — which has been convulsed by conspiracy theories about voter fraud and other extremist ideologies over the last three years.Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The sidewalks will approximately double in width, with another band of space given over to tree pits, supplying a blessed bit of shade.Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 17 Oct. 2024
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From anger to mourning to sadness to gratefulness to even feeling blessed to be able to sit here and write this post, processing the reasons behind September 4th will be a long road which will most likely, never be truly understood.Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2024
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At the center on one side was a life-size Virgin holding the Child, surrounded by 40 reverent haloed figures.Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
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Beethoven would hardly recognize our concert-going culture, in which people sit in reverent silence, then clap politely and go home.Justin Davidson, Curbed, 16 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near holy
Cite this Entry
“Holy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holy. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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