Wiktionary

biblical

See also: Biblical

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Medieval Latin biblicus +‎ -al, equivalent to bible +‎ -ical.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈbɪblɪkəl/
    • Audio (US):(file)

Adjective

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biblical (comparative more biblical, superlative most biblical)

  1. Of or relating to the Bible.
    Tithing is both a quranic and biblical virtue.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 3, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
      Sepia Delft tiles surrounded the fireplace, their crudely drawn Biblical scenes in faded cyclamen blending with the pinkish pine, while above them, instead of a mantelshelf, there was an archway high enough to form a balcony with slender balusters and a tapestry-hung wall behind.
  2. In accordance with the teachings of the Bible (according to some interpretation of it).
    biblical morality
    The biblical teaching is that…
    • 2023 February 16, Chris McGreal, quoting Mike Pompeo, “Pompeo says Israel has biblical claim to Palestine and is ‘not an occupying nation’”, in The Guardian‎[1], →ISSN:
      Mike Pompeo, the former US secretary of state, has defended Israel’s decades-long control of the Palestinian territories by claiming that the Jewish state has a biblical claim to the land and is therefore not occupying it.
  3. (figurative) Very great; especially, exceeding previous records in scale.
    of biblical proportions
    with biblical fury
    • 1984, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ghostbusters:
      Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
      Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
      Dr. Raymond Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath-of-God type stuff.
    • 1998 February 22, Walter Kirn, “The Wages of Righteousness”, in The New York Times‎[2]:
      Russell Banks's “Cloudsplitter,” a novel of near-biblical proportions about the abolitionist freedom fighter John Brown, is shaped like an explosive with an exceedingly long and winding fuse.
    • 2023 February 14, Damian Carrington, quoting António Guterres, “Rising seas threaten ‘mass exodus on a biblical scale’, UN chief warns”, in The Guardian‎[3], →ISSN:
      An increase in the pace at which sea levels are rising threatens “a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale”, the UN secretary general has warned.

Quotations

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For quotations using this term, see Citations:biblical.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Hypernyms

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Hyponyms

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Coordinate terms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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