ungodly

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ʌnˈɡɒdli/

• Audio (RP)

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /ʌnˈɡɑdli/

• Audio (GA)

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• Hyphenation: un‧god‧ly

From Middle English ungodli [and other forms], from un- (prefix meaning ‘not’),[1] + godli (“belonging to God; resembling God, godlike”).[2] Godli is derived from Old English godlīċ (“divine, godlike; godly”), from god (“god”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew- (“to libate, pour”), in the sense of a liquid offering poured out for a deity) + -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.[3]

ungodly (comparative more ungodly or ungodlier, superlative most ungodly or ungodliest)

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

   Synonyms: impious, irreligious, irreverent

   Antonyms: godly, observant, pious, reverent

   • 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC; reprinted in The Pilgrim’s Progress as Originally Published by John Bunyan: Being a Fac-simile Reproduction of the First Edition, London: Elliot Stock […], 1875, →OCLC, pages 146–147:

     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, and lying, and vain-Company-keeping, &c., will ſtand together.

   • 1912, Ernst Troeltsch, “Protestantism and Politico-social Institutions”, in W. Montgomery, transl., Protestantism and Progress: A Historical Study of the Relation of Protestantism to the Modern World (Crown Theological Library; XXXVII), London: Williams & Norgate, […]; New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC, pages 113–114:

     [...] 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, [...]

   • 2013, Manny Alaniz, “The Traditional View of Imputed Righteousness”, in Deficiencies in the Justification of the Ungodly: A Look at N. T. Wright’s View of the Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness, Eugene, Or.: Wipf and Stock, →ISBN, page 48:

     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.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:evil, Thesaurus:immoral

   Antonyms: see Thesaurus:virtuous

   People often turn to ungodly ideas as an emotional response to trauma.

   • 1604, Jeremy Corderoy, A Short Dialogve, vvherein is Proved, that No Man can be Saved vvithout Good VVorkes, 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Simon Waterson, →OCLC, page 40:

     [N]ow ſuch as liue vngodly, vvithout a care of doing the wil of the Lord (though they profeſſe him in their mouths, yea though they beleeue and acknowledge all the Articles of the Creed, yea haue knowledge of the Scripturs) yet if they liue vngodly, they deny God, and therefore ſhal be denied, [...]

   • [1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 1:5–6, column 1:

     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.

     Use of the word as a noun.]

   • 1666, John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners; or, A Brief and Faithful Relation of the Exceeding Mercy of God in Christ, to His Poor Servant, John Bunyan. […], London: […] William Drew […], published 1771, →OCLC, paragraph 26, page 17:

     [T]here ſat within the woman of the houſe, and heard me; who, though ſhe was a very looſe and ungodly wretch, yet proteſted, that I [John Bunyan] ſwore and curſed at that moſt fearful rate, that ſhe was made to tremble to hear me; and told me further, that I was the ungodlieſt fellow for ſwearing that ever ſhe heard in all her life; and that I, by thus doing, was able to ſpoil all the youth in the whole town, if they came but in my company.

   • 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC; reprinted in The Pilgrim’s Progress as Originally Published by John Bunyan: Being a Fac-simile Reproduction of the First Edition, London: Elliot Stock […], 1875, →OCLC, page 163:

     Beſides, he hath not been afraid to rail on you, my Lord, who are now appointed to be his Judge, calling you an ungodly Villain, with many other ſuch like vilifying terms, with which he hath beſpattered most of the Gentry of our Town.

   • 1896, Friedrich Nietzsche, “Off Duty”, in Alexander Tille, transl., Thus Spake Zarathustra […] (The Works of Friedrich Nietzsche; VIII), New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, 4th and last part, page 376:

     It is I, ungodly Zarathustra, who say, 'Who is ungodlier than I, that I may enjoy his teaching?' [...] Behold, I myself am probably at present of us two the ungodlier one? But who could rejoice over that?

   • 1973, Matt Braun, chapter 4, in El Paso, St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, published July 1999, →ISBN, page 103:

     Did some ungodly specter ride with him that neither he nor his horse had been hit? By what miracle had he come through that hail of lead without so much as a scratch?

   • 1981, K. M. Peyton [pseudonym; Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton], chapter 5, in Flambards Divided, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, published 1999, →ISBN, page 91:

     In the past, she could remember exactly the same sourness of that ungodly emotion [jealousy] when she had noticed how Violet, Dick's sister, had loved Mark, [...]

3. (informal) Extreme; unreasonable.

   Synonyms: dreadful, indecent, outrageous

   We had to start our journey at an ungodly hour.

   • 1915, Norman Douglas, “A Mountain Festival”, in Old Calabria, London: Martin Secker […], →OCLC, pages 151–152:

     It is a vast picnic in honour of the Virgin. [...] A heaving ebb and flow of humanity fills the eye; fires are flickering before extempore shelters, and an ungodly amount of food is being consumed, as traditionally prescribed for such occasions—"si mangia per divozione."

   • 1998 August 3, Tom Clancy, “The Games Begin”, in Rainbow Six, New York, N.Y.: Berkley Books, published September 1999, →ISBN:

     The minibus pulled up to an upscale hotel, whose bell staff were awake, even at this ungodly hour.

• ungodlily
• ungodliness
• ungodly hour

From Middle English ungodli (“cruelly, maliciously, wickedly; unfairly, unlawfully, wrongly; discourteously, rudely”) [and other forms],[4] from un- (prefix meaning ‘not’),[1] + godli (“excellently; pleasingly, splendidly; courteously, graciously; gladly, willingly; righteously; properly, rightly; at all, possibly; much”).[5] 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.[6]

ungodly (comparative more ungodly, superlative most ungodly)

1. (obsolete) In an impious, irreverent, or ungodly manner; ungodlily. [16th–17th c.]
   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Pistle off Sanct Judas j:[14–15], folio cccxx, verso:

     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⸝ [...]

   • 2019, Maaza Mengiste

, The Shadow King, Canongate Books (2020), page 123:

It is ungodly made, fashioned by man, a beast spun from fire and steel.