Unholy

How to spell unholy

6 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce unholy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unholy mean?

1. adjectiveSinful, wicked, or contrary to what is sacred.
2. adjectiveUsed informally to mean appalling, outrageous, or extreme in degree.

Unholy in a sentence

• The cult was accused of unholy rituals held after dark.

• The children made an unholy noise during the long car journey.

• Critics called the deal an unholy alliance between rivals.

• He left the kitchen in an unholy mess after cooking.

Where does unholy come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word is built from the native prefix un-, meaning 'not', joined to 'holy', which descends from the Old English halig. That root literally carried the idea of being 'whole', 'sound', or 'set apart as sacred', and it is closely tied to the word 'whole' and to 'heal', since wholeness and sanctity were once bound up together in the same notion of being unbroken. 'Unholy' itself is recorded from the Old English period as unhalig, plainly meaning 'not sacred' or 'wicked'. Over the centuries it picked up a strong moral charge, describing the sinful and the profane, and by modern times it also gained a lively informal sense for anything outrageous or extreme, as in an 'unholy racket'. The spelling stays straightforward once you remember it is simply 'un' added to 'holy', with no doubled letter and no silent twist.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• holy (sacred, from Old English halig 'whole, healthy, sacred')