as in moralistic
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Recent Examples of pharisaical
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
David and Samuel explore the U.S. energy sector and evaluate what the future holds in an ESG landscape that has done its very best to bring economic incoherence to its pharisaical agenda.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 16 Jan. 2022
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2022
David and Samuel explore the U.S. energy sector and evaluate what the future holds in an ESG landscape that has done its very best to bring economic incoherence to its pharisaical agenda.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 16 Jan. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pharisaical
Adjective
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To rebuild a consensus, politicians must thus appeal to these swing voters by eschewing moralistic and globalist rhetoric.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
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The sanitized relationships and moralistic comeuppances that characterize classic-Hollywood movies falsified private life in their own time and enduringly distort the past; a tale such as Crawford’s should dispel nostalgia for bygone days and the myth of their orderly decorum.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Advertisement For those of us who’ve historically found Stause to be sanctimonious, passive-aggressive, and prone to playing the victim, there’s plenty in both her post and her behavior throughout the reunion to support that view.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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Forget any sanctimonious spewing sermon about pro sports foolishly believing these types of things would not happen.—
Mac Engel
October 23,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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All of this is impressive enough, but there are tales that the bible was written in a single night by none other than the Dark Lord himself, not a pious scribe.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Dec. 2025
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The suspects may seem pious, but which of them committed the ultimate sin of murder?—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
13 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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His fall played as tabloid morality tale, at once confirming secular suspicion about hypocritical Christians and Christian suspicions about the temptations of secular trappings.—
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
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And now, with several countries withdrawing from global governance, Jin thinks those lecturing China on being responsible are being hypocritical.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
14 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Their reach and impact collectively are far more effective and balanced than the self-righteous media who chose to self-deport from the Pentagon.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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The book hinges on a conflict between self-righteous Burghers, who live in cities, and resentful, paranoid rural people known as Yeomen.—
Michelle Goldberg,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But there’s a line between analysis and holier-than-thou bloviation.—
Mara Reinstein,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Nov. 2025
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WalletHub made sure that no state walked away feeling entirely holier-than-thou.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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One wrong look or insincere angle and the conversation can go sideways.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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The man whom Navarro likes to call the Boss seems to value insincere, or bought, obeisance—the flapping and fussing of a maître d’—more than heartfelt fandom, which lacks the piquancy of humiliation.—
Ian Parker,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Over time, the stew evolved to an unctuous base made of rockfish, herbs, potatoes and tomatoes combined with fish stock, ground with a food mill and strained.—
Georgeanne Brennan,
Mercury News,
3 Dec. 2025
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Long maturation sous voile, or under a veil of yeast, gives Vin Jaune a salty, earthen complexity, bold spice, and texture that’s satiny, even unctuous—perfect for rich soups and stews.—
Anna Lee C. Iijima,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
24 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pharisaical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharisaical. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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