Ungodly Meaning
/ʌnˈɡɒdli/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf a person: lacking reverence for God; of an action: not in accordance with God's will or religious teachings.
adjImmoral, sinful, or wicked.
Sentence Examples
You can't use your sadness as an excuse to be ungodly.
Why must you call me at such ungodly hours?
CEFR Practice Quiz
We had to leave at an ____ hour, long before sunrise, to catch the flight.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He had to wake up at an ____ hour this morning to catch the first train to the city for his meeting today.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 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:
"[...] 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, [...]"
— 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:
"This righteousness spoken about is a judicial or forensic declarative pronouncement given by God to the ungodly sinner who receives it by faith alone."
— 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:
"[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, [...]"
— 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:
"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."
— [1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 1:5–6, column 1:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
We had to leave at an ____ hour, long before sunrise, to catch the flight.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He had to wake up at an ____ hour this morning to catch the first train to the city for his meeting today.