high holy day: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Yes, when referring specifically to the Jewish festivals of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it is a proper noun and should be capitalised. In metaphorical use, capitalisation is optional but often retained for stylistic emphasis.

It is not standard. The term is strongly anchored in a Jewish context. While Christmas and Eid are major religious holidays, using 'High Holy Day' for them would be confusing and potentially inappropriate. Use 'major religious festival' instead.

A 'holiday' (from 'holy day') can be any day of celebration or rest, secular or religious. A 'High Holy Day' specifically denotes the most solemn and important religious observances within a tradition, particularly Judaism, carrying a heavier weight of spiritual obligation and significance.

For the specific Jewish context, the Hebrew terms 'Yamim Noraim' (Days of Awe) or the names of the individual holidays are the closest synonyms. For the metaphorical sense, phrases like 'day of supreme importance', 'solemn occasion', or 'red-letter day' (though the latter is more celebratory) can function similarly depending on context.

One of the most important religious festivals in Judaism, specifically Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

High holy day is usually formal, religious, literary in register.

High holy day: in British English it is pronounced /ˌhaɪ ˈhəʊ.li ˌdeɪ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌhaɪ ˈhoʊ.li ˌdeɪ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.