ungodly
un·god·ly/ʌnˈɡɑdli/adjective
ungodly is spelled U-N-G-O-D-L-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables (un·god·ly). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ungodly means “Of a person: lacking reverence for God; of an action: not in accordance with God's will or religious teachings” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ungodly?
| Letters | 7: U-N-G-O-D-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: un·god·ly |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,393rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ungodly?
Ungodly appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ungodly?
- UK /ʌnˈɡɒdli/
- US /ʌnˈɡɑdli/
Ungodly has 3 syllables, split un·god·ly in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-I_learned_some_phrases-ungodly.wav, En-us-ungodly.mp3, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ungodly?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ungodly from its last stressed vowel (/ɑdli/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of ungodly
- more ungodly comparative
- ungodlier comparative
- most ungodly superlative
- ungodliest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ungodly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a person: lacking reverence for God; of an action: not in accordance with God's will or religious teachings.
- 2
Immoral, sinful, or wicked.
People often turn to ungodly ideas as an emotional response to trauma.
- 3
informalExtreme; unreasonable.
We had to start our journey at an ungodly hour.
adverb
- 1
obsoleteIn an impious, irreverent, or ungodly manner; ungodlily.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ungodly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | impie , indécent |
| German | unchristlich, gottlos , schrecklich, fürchterlich, unmöglich |
| Portuguese | ímpio |
| Spanish | impío , atroz, horrible |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ungodly come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).