# unholy

/ənˈhoʊɫi/ (US) · /ʌnhˈəʊli/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/unholy
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. evil or immoral

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

evil, wicked, or against religious rules.

For teachers: not holy; characterized by a lack of religious or moral sanctity; wicked or sinful.

- The villain in the story made an unholy pact with a demon to gain power.
- The investigation revealed an unholy alliance between the corrupt officials and the local criminal syndicate.

### 2. extreme or unpleasant

adjective · CEFR C1 · Informal · Humorous

used to describe something that is extreme, shocking, or a very bad combination.

For teachers: dreadful, excessive, or unnatural; often used to describe an unpleasant combination of elements or an unreasonable time.

- The baby woke up at the unholy hour of four in the morning.
- The kitchen was filled with an unholy mess of flour, broken eggs, and spilled milk after the children tried to bake a cake.

Usage: Often used in the fixed phrase 'unholy hour' to mean very early in the morning.

## Examples

- The two rivals formed an unholy alliance to win.
- The factory began making an unholy noise that could be heard three blocks away.
- The merger was described as an unholy alliance between a predatory hedge fund and a struggling public utility, sparking immediate protests from consumer advocacy groups.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.