Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ungodly

/ʌnˈɡɑdli/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.91 in modern English

Syllables
un-god-ly
IPA
/ʌnˈɡɑdli/
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Immoral, sinful, or wicked.

adj

Extreme; unreasonable.

Informal

adv

In an impious, irreverent, or ungodly manner; ungodlily.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

Etymology

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Prefix: un
  • Root: *leyg-, ungodli, godlīċ, *gʰedʰ-, gōdlīċe

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ʌnˈɡɑdli/
  • British English: /ʌnˈɡɒdli/

Usage

Inflected Forms

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

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce ungodly?
The recorded pronunciation is /ʌnˈɡɑdli/.
What does ungodly mean?
Of a person: lacking reverence for God; of an action: not in accordance with God's will or religious teachings.
Where does ungodly come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce ungodly

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ungodly”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ʌnˈɡɑdli/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “ungodly”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “ungodly” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.