as in smug
disapproving
having or showing the annoying attitude of people who believe that they are morally better than other people
a holier-than-thou attitude
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Recent Examples of holier-than-thou
Unlike baseball, with some of its holier-than-thou decisions with its Hall of Fame, the Basketball Hall of Fame largely looks at career on-court achievements.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2025
Laurie, now adopting her own holier-than-thou perch, is just as bad.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Phillip, Portland, Ore. A: Unlike baseball, with some of its holier-than-thou decisions with its Hall of Fame, the Basketball Hall of Fame largely looks at career on-court achievements.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2025
The story prompted an uproar from fans of Michigan’s Big Ten opponents, who saw Harbaugh as a cheater and Michigan’s holier-than-thou image as a fraud, and urged commissioner Tony Petitti to take action.
—Austin Meek, The Athletic, 8 Aug. 2024
In scenes together, Cooke’s arch line deliveries and holier-than-thou smirks spark against D’Arcy’s regal defensiveness and cool anger.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 June 2024
Annelle-Inspired Picks The spiritual turnaround of the beauty shop’s new recruit guided our picks for her holier-than-thou shelves.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 30 Sep. 2024
Aidan is written as a sympathetic character — unlike Big, who comes off much more pompous — but still manipulates Carrie from his holier-than-thou perch.
—Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023
But whether Ben is talking to people he’s known for ages or whom he’s just met, the guy has a knack for being aggressive, holier-than-thou, and sarcastic to a fault.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2023
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2025
Laurie, now adopting her own holier-than-thou perch, is just as bad.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Phillip, Portland, Ore. A: Unlike baseball, with some of its holier-than-thou decisions with its Hall of Fame, the Basketball Hall of Fame largely looks at career on-court achievements.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2025
The story prompted an uproar from fans of Michigan’s Big Ten opponents, who saw Harbaugh as a cheater and Michigan’s holier-than-thou image as a fraud, and urged commissioner Tony Petitti to take action.
—Austin Meek, The Athletic, 8 Aug. 2024
In scenes together, Cooke’s arch line deliveries and holier-than-thou smirks spark against D’Arcy’s regal defensiveness and cool anger.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 June 2024
Annelle-Inspired Picks The spiritual turnaround of the beauty shop’s new recruit guided our picks for her holier-than-thou shelves.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 30 Sep. 2024
Aidan is written as a sympathetic character — unlike Big, who comes off much more pompous — but still manipulates Carrie from his holier-than-thou perch.
—Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023
But whether Ben is talking to people he’s known for ages or whom he’s just met, the guy has a knack for being aggressive, holier-than-thou, and sarcastic to a fault.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holier-than-thou
Adjective
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Twenty-three years of a smug, smarmy host, and a bunch of sportswriters desperate for sound bites and attention.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
-
There’s the divorced couple maintaining their relationship for their children; the happy and occasionally smug monogamist; the man who prefers not to commit; the woman who can’t decide.—
Alissa Wilkinson,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
Vance was similarly cavalier about the Administration’s noncompliance with court orders—and even about the fact that Abrego Garcia, convicted of no crime in the United States or El Salvador, has been imprisoned indefinitely.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
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Meet my very good boys (pictured): Scooter is a nine-year-old cavapoo (cavalier King Charles spaniel and poodle mix).—
Kathy Barnes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 May 2025
Adjective
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The result is a country that comes across to others as at once boastful about its growing power and prickly about criticism of its human-rights record.—
Vaibhav Vats,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2025
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Then create templates for sharing these results across different platforms (social posts, case study formats, website sections) that highlight the concrete proof of my expertise without sounding boastful.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Socially engaged cinema of this kind gets a bad rap these days; it is seen as old and tired or, worse still, superior and self-righteous.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
23 May 2025
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There’s nothing preachy or self-righteous about Frank’s writing.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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There is something dangerously, provocatively arrogant about his glorified gang leader looks.—
Timothy Crouse,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2025
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The exiled poet was criticized for his arrogant attempts to influence British and American foreign policy.—
Graham Robb,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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The men were very egotistical in this film and no one really showed up.—
Jeff Conway,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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In the upcoming film, Oscar Isaac stars as Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a creature (Jacob Elordi) to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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Those on the left must recognize that their moralistic zeal and narrowing of intellectual discourse have turned educational and cultural institutions into engines of alienation, not trust.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
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Aster isn’t merely mocking them; his real point is that moralistic self-righteousness has become a kind of addiction in America.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Holier-than-thou.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holier-than-thou. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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