adj · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ʌnˈhəʊli/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -əʊli
CMU ARPABET:AH0 N HH OW1 L IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Not holy; (by extension) evil, impure, or otherwise perverted.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The priest's unholy behaviour brought the church into disrepute.
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.
Across languages
Translations
56 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
нечестив
(nečestiv)
— not holy; evil
Chinese Mandarin:
褻瀆的 /亵渎的
(xièdú de)
— not holy; evil
Chinese Mandarin:
不聖潔的 /不圣洁的
(bù shèngjié de)
— not holy; evil
Chinese Mandarin:
邪惡的 /邪恶的
(xié'è de)
— not holy; evil
Chinese Mandarin:
污穢的 /污秽的
(wūhuì de)
— not holy; evil
Chinese Mandarin:
玷污的
(diànwū de)
— not holy; evil
Dutch:
euvel
— not holy; evil
Dutch:
kwaad
— not holy; evil
Dutch:
kwaadaardig
— not holy; evil
Dutch:
boos
— not holy; evil
Dutch:
boosaardig
— not holy; evil
Dutch:
slecht
— not holy; evil
Dutch:
onheilig
— not holy; evil
Finnish:
epäpyhä
— not holy; evil
Finnish:
jumalaton
— not holy; evil
French:
impie
— not holy; evil
French:
maléfique
— not holy; evil
German:
unheilig
— not holy; evil
Gothic:
𐌿𐌽𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌺𐌽𐍃
(unairkns)
— not holy; evil
Ancient Greek:
ἀνόσιος
(anósios)
— not holy; evil
Hindi:
अपवित्र
(apavitra)
— not holy; evil
Hungarian:
istentelen
— not holy; evil
Hungarian:
szentségtelen
— not holy; evil
Hungarian:
elvetemült
— not holy; evil
Hungarian:
gonosz
— not holy; evil
Plautdietsch:
onheilich
— not holy; evil
Romanian:
rău
— not holy; evil
Romanian:
nesfânt
— not holy; evil
Romanian:
afurisit
— not holy; evil
Russian:
нечестивый
(nečestivyj)
— not holy; evil
Russian:
порочный
(poročnyj)
— not holy; evil
Spanish:
impío
— not holy; evil
Telugu:
అపవిత్రమైన
(apavitramaina)
— not holy; evil
Telugu:
అపవిత్ర
(apavitra)
— not holy; evil
Turkish:
kötü
— not holy; evil
Turkish:
fena
— not holy; evil
Turkish:
kem
— not holy; evil
Turkish:
şeytanî
— not holy; evil
Volapük:
nesaludik
— not holy; evil
Chinese Mandarin:
可怕的
(kěpà de)
— dreadful
Chinese Mandarin:
駭人聽聞的 /骇人听闻的
(hàiréntīngwén de)
— dreadful
Chinese Mandarin:
令人髮指的 /令人发指的
(lìngrén fàzhǐ de)
— dreadful
