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ungodly

adj
/ʌnˈɡɒdli/UK/ʌnˈɡɑdli/US

Etymology

From Middle English ungodli (“cruelly, maliciously, wickedly; unfairly, unlawfully, wrongly; discourteously, rudely”) [and other forms], from un- (prefix meaning ‘not’), + godli (“excellently; pleasingly, splendidly; courteously, graciously; gladly, willingly; righteously; properly, rightly; at all, possibly; much”). Godli is probably derived from Old English gōdlīċe (“goodly”), from gōd (“good”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰedʰ- (“to join, unite; to suit”)) + -līċe (suffix forming adverbs); thus, equivalent to un- + good + -ly. The English word is cognate with Middle Dutch ongodelike, ongodlike (modern Dutch ongoddelijk), Middle High German ungöttlich, Swedish ogudelike, ogudlike (both obsolete), ogudligt.

  1. derived from *gʰedʰ-✻ — “to join, unite; to suit”
  2. derived from gōdlīċe — “goodly”
  3. inherited from ungodli — “cruelly, maliciously, wickedly; unfairly, unlawfully, wrongly; discourteously, rudely”

Definitions

  1. Of a person

    Of a person: lacking reverence for God; of an action: not in accordance with God's will or religious teachings.

    • [...] Calvinism gave a much more radical development to its Law of Nature. It successfully established the principle of the right of resistance, which must be exercised on behalf of the word of God in the face of ungodly authorities, [...]
    • This righteousness spoken about is a judicial or forensic declarative pronouncement given by God to the ungodly sinner who receives it by faith alone.

  2. Immoral, sinful, or wicked.

    • People often turn to ungodly ideas as an emotional response to trauma.
    • Therefore the vngodly ſhall not ſtand in the iudgement, nor ſinners in the Congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the vngodly ſhall periſh.

  3. Extreme

    Extreme; unreasonable.

    • We had to start our journey at an ungodly hour.
    • The minibus pulled up to an upscale hotel, whose bell staff were awake, even at this ungodly hour.
  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. In an impious, irreverent, or ungodly manner

      In an impious, irreverent, or ungodly manner; ungodlily.

      • Beholde⸝ the lorde ſhall come with thouſandꝭ of ſayntꝭ⸝ to geve iudgement agaynſt all men⸝ and to rebuke all that are vngodly amonge them⸝ of all their vngodly dedes⸝ which they have vngodly cõmitted⸝ [...]
      • It is ungodly made, fashioned by man, a beast spun from fire and steel.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for ungodly. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA