unholy
pronunciation
How to pronounce unholy in British English:
UK [ʌnˈhəʊli]
How to pronounce unholy in American English:
US [ʌnˈhoʊli]
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- Adjective:
- not hallowed or consecrated
- extremely evil or cruel; expressive of cruelty or befitting hell
- having committed unrighteous acts
Word Origin
- unholy (adj.)
- Old English unhalig, "impious, profane, wicked," from un- (1) "not" + halig (see holy). Similar formation in Middle Dutch onheilich, Old Norse uheilagr, Danish unhellig, Swedish ohelig. In reference to actions, it is attested from late 14c. Colloquial sense of "awful, dreadful" is recorded from 1842.
Antonym
Example
- 1. Stubborn and zealously anti-semitic , the saudi ruler long suspected an unholy alliance between zionism and communism .
- 2. A heavy curtain covered the entrance ; separated unholy man from a holy god .
- 3. One reason the proposal got past the commission was an unholy alliance between michel barnier , the french single-market commissioner , and karel de gucht , the belgian trade commissioner .
- 4. I close my eyes slowly , wondering what kind of unholy deal they 've struck in the night .
- 5. It is only by anticipating the consequences of this coming unholy alliance between internet companies and intelligence agencies that our freedoms can be defended .