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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The United States went to war in 2001 and 2003 with a very moralistic, very crusading view of war, a very black-and-white view that there were good guys and bad guys, and America would wield the swift sword of justice.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
10 Jan. 2026
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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
Adjective
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This identity resonates most strongly with MAGA Hardliners and Anti-Woke Conservatives, who believe that the political left has become a sanctimonious elite imposing its worldview on everyone else.—
Daniel Yudkin,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
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This book exists, in other words, in order for Karp to have written a book … The book is filled with this sort of sanctimonious guff.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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The series follows young teens Agnes, dutiful and pious, and Daisy, a new arrival and convert from beyond Gilead’s borders.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
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Per the official logline, the series follows young teens Agnes, dutiful and pious, and Daisy, a new arrival and convert from beyond Gilead’s borders.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
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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In calmer times, a leader expounding from such heights risks sounding preachy and self-righteous.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
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In the early days of the drugs’ rollout, a high price tag and a nationwide shortage made off-label A-list users a target of self-righteous mockery.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
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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Some bars are dry on the tongue, others are unctuous.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
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Field peas, red rice and the best part — oxtail — cooked down, down and down again into a warm, unctuous delight.—
Timothy DePeugh,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pharisaical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharisaical. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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