pharisaical

adjective

Definition of pharisaicalnext
as in moralistic

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pharisaical Although he was noted for being supremely humble, our Way-shower, Christ Jesus, took strong antagonistic grounds against harsh pharisaical doctrine. — Jan Keeler Vincent, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Mar. 2025 Lists are no substitute for criticism, but those who take them as inimical to criticism are pharisaical. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2022 Yet Marlin makes clear that excommunication was never a real threat but rather one that Cuomo shrewdly used to turn himself into a victim of pharisaical bishops. — Vincent J. Cannato, National Review, 7 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pharisaical
  1. moralistic
  2. sanctimonious
  3. pious
  4. hypocritical
  5. self-righteous
  6. holier-than-thou
  7. insincere
  8. unctuous
Adjective
  • Navy excels at untangling human emotions and picking through them without being didactic or moralistic.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026
  • Last year, a YouTube channel called Akhbar Enfejari (Explosive News) began posting a variety of digital content with a political and moralistic bent.
    — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of moralistic
Adjective
  • There are few things in this world more sanctimonious and hypocritical than left-wing sportswriters getting on their faux moral high horse.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026
  • That’s when the movie takes a direction that’s both maudlin in the true sense of the word and ultimately even sanctimonious regarding the heroine’s sudden redemption.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 May 2026
Definition of sanctimonious
Adjective
  • Philemon and Baucis, a pious Phrygian couple, hospitably received the disguised Zeus and Hermes after their richer neighbors had refused to do so.
    — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 July 2026
  • This was 1872, and the pious (and patronizing) commentators of the time muttered that Damien’s unvarnished personality was due to his simple farm upbringing in rural Belgium.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of pious
Adjective
  • Some players cited the league’s partnerships with sports betting companies as hypocritical or even laying the foundation for this sort of scandal.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 28 July 2026
  • Amendments placed on the ballot by lawmakers would still need only a statewide majority — a distinction critics call hypocritical.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
Definition of hypocritical
Adjective
  • If all this sounds a little self-righteous, rest assured Jurden and Soresi don’t spare themselves.
    — Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 30 July 2026
  • The financier Carl Icahn, Ackman’s longtime nemesis and business rival, famously denounced him as a self-righteous crybaby.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 20 July 2026
Definition of self-righteous
Adjective
  • But there’s a line between analysis and holier-than-thou bloviation.
    — Mara Reinstein, HollywoodReporter, 24 Nov. 2025
  • WalletHub made sure that no state walked away feeling entirely holier-than-thou.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 19 Aug. 2025
Definition of holier-than-thou
Adjective
  • Survivors have expressed frustration and criticized the Japanese government's support for nuclear deterrence for being insincere.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Not everyone believes, however, that the line is insincere.
    — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 24 June 2026
Definition of insincere
Adjective
  • The unctuous and sweet char siu pork jowl is interspersed with green apple pressed with lime and ginger for a bright and crisp counter to the fatty pig.
    — Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 16 June 2026
  • Made with the unctuous 8-percent-fat milk of the water buffalo—animals that may have arrived in the area via the Normans by way of Sicily, or perhaps by the Goths coming from Central Asia—buffalo mozzarella has been produced at least since the twelfth century.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Definition of unctuous

Browse Nearby Words

pharaonic
pharisaical
pharmaceutical
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Cite this Entry

“Pharisaical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharisaical. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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