MEANING
Displaying an offensively superior attitude about one's own moral or religious virtue.
Use it for
Moral bullying, hypocrisy, authority disguised as virtue.Let a judgmental voice expose its own claim to moral superiority.
Words that belong together
- sanctimonious tone
- sanctimonious lecture
- sanctimonious manner
On the page
His sanctimonious lecture ignored the lie he had told that morning.
She resented the sanctimonious tone more than the accusation.
A sanctimonious smile accompanied every refusal to help.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- sanctimonious
Usage notes
Primary category: gothic. Disapproving and usually formal; criticizes ostentatious or self-righteous moral display, not religious devotion as such. A person can be sincerely religious and still sanctimonious; hypocrisy is possible, not required. Comparative more sanctimonious; superlative most sanctimonious. Derived adverb sanctimoniously.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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