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unholy

 - 3 dictionary results

un⋅ho⋅ly

  [uhn-hoh-lee]
Use unholy in a Sentence
–adjective, -li⋅er, -li⋅est.
1. not holy; not sacred or hallowed.
2. impious; sinful; wicked.
3. Informal. dreadful; ungodly: They got us out of bed at the unholy hour of three in the morning.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE unhālig (c. D onheilig, ON ūheilagr). See un- 1 , holy

Related forms:
un⋅ho⋅li⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To unholy
un·ho·ly   (ŭn-hō'lē)   
adj.   un·ho·li·er, un·ho·li·est

  1. Wicked; immoral.

  2. Not hallowed or consecrated.

  3. Informal Outrageous: took unholy risks to win the downhill race.

un·ho'li·ly adv., un·ho'li·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

unholy 
O.E. unhalig, "impious, profane, wicked," from un- (1) "not" + halig (see holy). Cf. M.Du. onheilich, O.N. uheilagr, Dan. unhellig, Swed. ohelig. In ref. to actions, it is attested from 1382. Colloquial sense of "awful, dreadful" is recorded from 1842.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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