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ungodly

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ungodly¹

  • /ʌnˈɡɒdli/ UK
  • /ʌnˈɡɑdli/ US

Where it comes from

From Middle English ungodli [and other forms], from un- (prefix meaning ‘not’), + godli (“belonging to God; resembling God, godlike”). Godli is derived from Old English godlīċ (“divine, godlike; godly”), from god (“god”) + -līċ (“suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘characteristic of, pertaining to’”). The English word may be analysed as un- + godly, and is cognate with Middle Dutch ongodelijc (modern Dutch ongoddelijk), Middle High German ungötlich (modern German ungöttlich), Old Norse óguðligr (“ungodly”) (Danish ugudelig, Icelandic óguðlegur), Swedish ogudlig.

adjective more ungodly · ungodlier · most ungodly · ungodliest

  1. Of a person: lacking reverence for God; of an action: not in accordance with God's will or religious teachings. They ſay You are a ſpot among Chriſtians; and that Religion fareth the worſe for your ungodly converſation, that ſome have already ſtumbled at your wicked ways, and that more are in danger of being deſtroyed thereby; your Religion, and an Ale-Houſe, and Covetouſneſs, and uncleanneſs, and ſwearing, a

    Similar: impious, irreligious, irreverent · Opposite: godly, observant, pious, reverent

  2. Immoral, sinful, or wicked. People often turn to ungodly ideas as an emotional response to trauma.

    Similar: abandoned, arrant, bad, bad apple, bad seed, baleful, scurrilous, baneful, base, black-hearted, dark, deleterious · Opposite: chaste, continent, correct, upstanding, delicate, decent, decorous, desertful, deserving, dutiful, duteous, good

  3. informal Extreme; unreasonable. We had to start our journey at an ungodly hour.

    Similar: dreadful, indecent, outrageous

ungodly²

  • /ʌnˈɡɒdli/ UK
  • /ʌnˈɡɑdli/ US

Where it comes from

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.

adverb more ungodly · most ungodly

  1. obsolete 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⸝ [...]

Translations

Every language

adj lacking reverence for God; not in accordance with God's will or religious teachings

Españolimpío
Portuguêsímpio
Françaisimpie
Deutschunchristlich, gottlos
Ελληνικάανίερος aníeros, αθεόφοβος atheófovos
Русскийнечести́вый nečestívyj, неве́рующий nevérujuščij

adj (informal) extreme; unreasonable

Españolatroz, horrible
Françaisindécent
Deutschschrecklich, fürchterlich, unmöglich
العربيةغَيْر مَعْقُول ḡayr maʕqūl

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MLA

"ungodly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ungodly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ungodly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ungodly

Chicago

"ungodly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ungodly.

BibTeX
@misc{ungodly_2026,
  title = {ungodly},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ungodly},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}