holy
/ˈhəʊli/adjective
उच्चारण होली
पवित्र, पावन, धार्मिक
Basic wordPYP · asked 5 times
Asked in previous papers
as antonym
- 1
connected with God or a religion; worthy of worship because of this
पवित्र, पावन, धार्मिक
- The Ganga is a holy river for Hindus.
- the holy city of Varanasi
- the holy Quran
+ 3 more examples
- Thousands of pilgrims visit the holy shrine each year.
- Amritsar is a holy city for Sikhs.
- The holy book was kept on a clean cloth.
Synonyms sacred divine hallowed blessed consecrated
Opposite unholy profane secular unconsecrated
- 2
good in a moral and religious way
पुण्यात्मा, संत, धर्मपरायण
- a holy man living in the hills
- The holy man blessed everyone who came to the hermitage.
- Villagers respected him as a holy and gentle man.
+ 2 more examples
- She led a quiet, holy life of prayer and service.
- People went to the holy man for advice.
Synonyms saintly pious devout godly virtuous
Opposite wicked sinful impious irreligious
- 1
[sing.] the holy of holies
the most sacred part of a temple; any place thought to be very special
गर्भगृह, सबसे पवित्र स्थान
- Only the chief priest may enter the holy of holies.
- The principal's office is the holy of holies in our school.
- Only a few trusted people could enter the holy of holies.
+ 2 more examples
- For the scientist, the lab was the holy of holies.
- The temple's holy of holies is closed to visitors.
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
holy + noun (place, book, day)
Before a noun, holy describes what is connected with God or worthy of worship.
Noun से पहले 'holy' उसका वर्णन करता है जो ईश्वर से जुड़ा हो या पूजा के योग्य हो।
- Varanasi is a holy city for Hindus.
- The Gita is a holy book.
holy man / holy woman
A holy man is a person who lives a deeply religious life.
'Holy man' गहरा धार्मिक जीवन जीने वाला व्यक्ति है।
- A holy man sat by the river chanting prayers.
holy vs holey vs wholly
Holy is sacred, holey has holes, and wholly means completely. All three sound alike or nearly so.
'Holy' पवित्र, 'holey' छेदों वाला और 'wholly' पूरी तरह है। तीनों का उच्चारण समान या निकट है।
- The holy cloth was not wholly clean and had a holey edge.
holy + noun in fixed phrases
In phrases like Holy Land, Holy Week and Holy Spirit, holy forms part of a name and is capitalised.
'Holy Land', 'Holy Week' और 'Holy Spirit' जैसे वाक्यांशों में 'holy' नाम का भाग है और capital से लिखा जाता है।
- Pilgrims travel to the Holy Land every year.
+Collocations 4
holy + noun
placecitybookriverwaterground
- The Ganga is a holy river for millions of Indians.
adverb + holy
verymostdeeplyespeciallytrulyconsidered
- The Golden Temple is held most holy by Sikhs.
verb + holy
regard asconsiderkeepmakebecome
- Hindus consider the cow a holy animal.
holy + festival/time
holy monthholy dayholy festivalholy nightholy season
- Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims.
“More examples 5
- Pilgrims bathe in the holy water of the Ganga.
तीर्थयात्री गंगा के पवित्र जल में स्नान करते हैं।
- The temple is a holy place, so please remove your shoes.
मंदिर पवित्र स्थान है, इसलिए कृपया जूते उतार दीजिए।
- Radhika visited the holy city of Amritsar with her family.
राधिका परिवार के साथ पवित्र नगरी अमृतसर गई।
- The old sage was regarded as a holy man by the villagers.
बूढ़े साधु को गाँववाले संत मानते थे।
- Diwali is a holy and joyful time in India.
दीवाली भारत में पवित्र और आनंदमय समय है।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ The holy of this temple is known to all.
✓ The holiness of this temple is known to all.
The noun form is holiness; holy is an adjective.
संज्ञा रूप 'holiness' है; 'holy' विशेषण है।
✗ Holy is a festival of colours.
✓ Holi is a festival of colours.
The festival of colours is spelt Holi; holy means sacred.
रंगों के त्योहार की वर्तनी 'Holi' है; 'holy' का अर्थ पवित्र है।
✗ The Ganga is a holy river for the Hindus.
✓ The Ganga is a holy river for Hindus.
When speaking of followers of a religion in general, no article is used before the plural noun.
किसी धर्म के अनुयायियों की सामान्य बात करते समय plural noun से पहले article नहीं लगाया जाता।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
Holy, sacred and divine all connect something with religion, but with different shades.
'Holy', 'sacred' और 'divine' तीनों किसी चीज़ को धर्म से जोड़ते हैं, पर अर्थ की छटा अलग है।
Connected with God or worship, or very pure in a religious way.
ईश्वर या पूजा से जुड़ा, या धार्मिक दृष्टि से अत्यंत पवित्र।
- The Ganga is a holy river.
Set apart for a god and protected by religious respect; also something never to be broken.
किसी देवता के लिए अलग रखा गया और धार्मिक सम्मान से सुरक्षित; कभी न तोड़ी जाने वाली बात भी।
- The cow is sacred to many Hindus.
¶Idioms 1
the holy of holies
a place that is so special or important that only a few people can enter it
सबसे पवित्र या विशिष्ट स्थान, गर्भगृह
- The director's office was the holy of holies, and few staff ever went in.
- In the temple, only the priests may enter the holy of holies.
◇Word family
≈Synonyms and antonyms
AaSpelling
ho·ly
?Which word?
holy, wholly and holey
Holy (one l) means sacred: 'holy water'. Wholly (two l's, with w) means completely: 'wholly wrong'. Holey (with e) means full of holes: 'holey socks'. All three are pronounced /ˈhəʊli/. 'Holier-than-thou' describes a person who thinks they are morally better than others.
Holy (एक l) का अर्थ 'पवित्र' है: 'holy water'। Wholly (दो l, w के साथ) का अर्थ 'पूरी तरह' है: 'wholly wrong'। Holey (e के साथ) का अर्थ 'छेदों से भरा' है: 'holey socks'। तीनों की pronunciation /ˈhəʊli/ है। 'Holier-than-thou' उस व्यक्ति के लिए है जो खुद को दूसरों से नैतिक रूप से बेहतर समझे।
Homophone, asked very often: holy, wholly, holey.
Homophone में यह बहुत पूछा जाता है: holy, wholly, holey।
✓In the exam
One-word substitution
A holy place visited by pilgrims is a shrine; a holy war a crusade or jihad; a holy man a saint, sadhu or sage.
तीर्थयात्रियों द्वारा देखा जाने वाला पवित्र स्थान shrine; धर्मयुद्ध crusade या jihad; पवित्र पुरुष saint, sadhu या sage।