holier
- 1Comparative form of holy.
Many monks considered the desert hermitage holier than any city cathedral.
The relic was venerated as holier than the gold that encased it.
Note
The regular comparative, made by turning the final -y of holy into -i- before -er, as in happier. It grades the senses of holy that come in degrees: more sacred, more revered, nearer moral perfection. A shrine, a relic or a person can be holier than another. The same spelling also serves as the "more full of holes" comparative, so context decides between a holier saint and a holier sock.
- 2Comparative form of holey.
The moth-eaten curtain was holier than the threadbare rug beside it.
After years at sea, the tarp became holier and let the rain through.
Note
Here the spelling gives up what kept holey distinct. The -ey ending becomes -ier, the e vanishes, and the form is identical to the comparative of holy. Words of wear and damage carry the meaning: moths, leaks, threadbare cloth, a holier sock or roof. Where a sentence could be read either way, more holey is the unambiguous choice.
holier is a form of holy
holy, adjective: Sacred; connected with God or a religion, dedicated to religious use, or deeply revered by believers. Full entry
- Spelling
- holy → holier: change y to i, add -er
Practice
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