adj
unholy
uhn-HOH-lee
adj
1
Not holy; wicked, evil, or sacrilegious.
"The cult performed an unholy ritual in the abandoned church."
2
Dreadful or outrageous in degree — used informally to intensify.
"They made an unholy mess of the kitchen."
"There was an unholy racket coming from the flat upstairs."
How to Use Unholy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEvil or sacrilegious, or (informally) used to mean "terrible/extreme," as in "an unholy mess."
Common pairings
unholy alliance
unholy mess
unholy row
Word Forms
unholier comparative, more unholy comparative, unholiest superlative, most unholy superlative
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The cult performed an _____ ritual in the abandoned church.
Etymology
From Old English unhāliġ, from un- + holy.