self-righteous

adjective

self-righ·​teous ˌself-ˈrī-chəs 

: 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

There is nothing worse than a self-righteous Big J journalist. —Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026

This admission is met with varying levels of shock and dismay from her three companions, ranging from nervous equivocation from her fiancé to self-righteous anger from Rachel. —Megan McCluskey, Time, 3 Apr. 2026

The only certainty in these films is that the self-righteous Optimus Prime will always preach some long-winded, sleep-inducing monologue at the end of the movie before a radio-friendly Linkin Park or Imagine Dragons song blares over the credits. —Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2026

In the novel, the servant Joseph is a self-righteous zealot who’s always banging on about the Bible. —Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1680, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-righteous

• righteous
• unrighteous

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