self-righteous

adjective

self-righ·​teous ˌself-ˈrī-chəs How to pronounce self-righteous (audio)
: convinced of one's own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic
self-righteously adverb
self-righteousness noun

Examples of self-righteous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Meanwhile, everyone is running around talking about governance in such self-righteous ways, but missing the point. Eli Amdur, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024 Elegant, worldly, and self-righteous Antoinette is a long-time divorcee whose life revolves around her weekly hair appointments and her job as a correctional officer at Rikers Island. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2024 Viewer boycotts Remember when all those self-righteous people were going to boycott the NFL because Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality? Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 12 Aug. 2024 The performances sing, too, with the series making use of Portman’s gift for self-righteous sanctimony and Ingram’s ability to sell both disillusionment and swashbuckling heroism as the situation demands it. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for self-righteous 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-righteous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1680, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-righteous was circa 1680

Dictionary Entries Near self-righteous

Cite this Entry

“Self-righteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-righteous. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

self-righteous

adjective
self-righ·​teous
ˈsel-ˈfrī-chəs
: strongly convinced of the rightness of one's actions or beliefs
self-righteously adverb
self-righteousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on self-righteous

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