unholy

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English

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Etymology

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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.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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unholy (comparative unholier or more unholy, superlative unholiest or most unholy)

  1. Not holy; (by extension) evil, impure, or otherwise perverted.
    The priest's unholy behaviour brought the church into disrepute.
    • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
      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.
    • 2022 November 16, Nigel Harris, “Endless news... little context”, in RAIL, number 970, page 3:
      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.
  2. 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!

Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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