Holiness

The state of being sacred, spiritually pure, or devoted to divine purpose.

Reach for it when discussing a religious ideal within a named tradition

Her teaching connected holiness with humility, justice, and care for neighbors.

• everyday

  sacredness

  being set apart for religious reverence is the plain meaning

  not when Sacredness can belong to an object or site without implying moral purity.

• professional

  piety

  devout belief and observance are visible in conduct

  not when Piety describes practice or disposition and can exist alongside moral failure.

• formal

  godliness

  character is understood as resembling or honoring God

  not when Godliness presupposes theism, so it mislabels non-theistic accounts of holiness.

• formal

  sanctity

  sacred status and protection from violation are central

  not when Sanctity often applies to a place, life, or principle and does not describe personal devotion fully.

• literary

  blessedness

  divine favor or profound spiritual well-being is intended

  not when Blessedness emphasizes a received state, while holiness can require disciplined conduct.

• literary

  purity

  freedom from spiritual defilement is the tradition's emphasis

  not when Purity language can become exclusionary or confused with bodily, social, or sexual control.

• profanity
• sinfulness
• corruption

• life of holiness

  The text describes a life of holiness through service rather than withdrawal.

• call to holiness

  Their call to holiness includes accountability for harm.

• spiritual holiness

  Spiritual holiness is defined differently across the traditions represented.

• Holy adj.

Holiness is tradition-specific; avoid treating one community's theology, purity rules, or devotional practice as universal.