as in pious
formal + disapproving
pretending to be morally better than other people
sanctimonious politicians A sanctimonious speech from someone who refused to acknowledge his own past failings.
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Recent Examples of sanctimonious
The sanctimonious proto-Communist bait of Good Night, and Good Luck
Activist-actor George Clooney confirms his hyphenate status by adapting his vapid 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck for the Broadway stage.
—
Armond White, National Review, 30 Apr. 2025
The sanctimonious Trudeau, a lightning rod for the anti-woke backlash that exists even in Canada, resigned.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
But the second half becomes increasingly generic conspiracy stuff, leading to a two-part conclusion that’s more smug and sanctimonious than the preceding action can justify.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Nov. 2024
The Byzantines wrote an amoral flexibility into their system, despite its putative religiosity—a realistic approach that has become more difficult to accomplish in the United States, partly owing to the power of a sanctimonious media establishment.
—Robert D. Kaplan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for sanctimonious
Armond White, National Review, 30 Apr. 2025
The sanctimonious Trudeau, a lightning rod for the anti-woke backlash that exists even in Canada, resigned.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
But the second half becomes increasingly generic conspiracy stuff, leading to a two-part conclusion that’s more smug and sanctimonious than the preceding action can justify.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Nov. 2024
The Byzantines wrote an amoral flexibility into their system, despite its putative religiosity—a realistic approach that has become more difficult to accomplish in the United States, partly owing to the power of a sanctimonious media establishment.
—Robert D. Kaplan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for sanctimonious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctimonious
Adjective
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The mobius-thinking at times almost seems like Medieval Zen, what with the emphasis on emptiness and silent meditation, and in fact that was what the Church fathers objected to most: too much quiet, solitary contemplation, not enough pious instruction.—
Jon Raymond
August 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Aug. 2025
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This may well sound like something that would’ve been played as a pious Christian allegory in another era.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The Russo-Ukrainian war, and the Israel-Iran conflict have both shown that sophistication alone is meaningless if delivered in teaspoon doses.—
Amir Husain,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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My worry is that AI use becomes ubiquitous enough that the label becomes meaningless—like saying a house was built with a pneumatic brad nailer versus a hammer.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sanctimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctimonious. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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