Sanctimonious
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˌsæŋk.tɪˈməʊ.ni.əs/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Sanctimonious is an adjective meaning Making a show of being morally better than others, especially hypocritically pious.
Meaning
Making a show of being morally better than others, especially hypocritically pious.
More Meanings
- (archaic) Holy, devout.
Example Sentences
Near-synonyms: smug; see also Thesaurus:arrogant
Thou conclud'st like the sanctimonious pirate, that went to sea with the Ten Commandements, but scrap'd one out of the table.
[O]ne / Discuss'd his tutor, rough to common men / But honeying at the whisper of a lord; / And one the Master, as a rogue in grain / Veneer'd with sanctimonious theory.
And this is indeed needed, since we who consider these awkward Christian ideas are but fearful, sanctimonious people, as Kierkegaard once put it so passionately: O, you sanctimonious people with your love which does not set you apart […]
Synonyms for sanctimonious
Depending on context, synonyms include holier-than-thou, smug, airy, arrogant, chesty, authoritarian.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include holier-than-thou, pious, pietistic, pharisaical, pharisaic, self-righteous.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.