unholy

Etymology

From Middle English unholi, unhaliȝ, from Old English unhāliġ, from Proto-Germanic *unhailagaz, equivalent to un- + holy. Cognate with Scots unhaly, Dutch onheilig, German Low German unhillig, German unheilig, Danish uhellig, Swedish ohelig.

adj

1. Not holy; (by extension) evil, impure, or otherwise perverted.
   The priest's unholy behaviour brought the church into disrepute.
   Essentially, the problem dates back to pre-privatisation, cost-driven British Rail practices which featured an unholy pact between management and unions, whereby management was able to employ fewer drivers and limited pension cost liabilities, while drivers were able to hoover up lots of lucrative Sunday overtime. November 16 2022, Nigel Harris, “Endless news... little context”, in RAIL, number 970, page 3
2. Dreadful, terrible, excessive, or otherwise atrocious.
   What an unholy mess your room is in!
   I've been spending an unholy amount of time trying to write a novel!