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
Of course, most of these sanctimonious snore-mongers linger on in one shrunken form or another, still screaming obscenities and shaking their fists at the moon.
—
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 June 2025
The smug and sanctimonious tenor of their briefing makes that plain.
—Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
In fact, whiny, self-contradictory, and sanctimonious art has achieved a great deal of cultural-political, though not necessarily artistic, success.
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sanctimonious
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 June 2025
The smug and sanctimonious tenor of their briefing makes that plain.
—Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
In fact, whiny, self-contradictory, and sanctimonious art has achieved a great deal of cultural-political, though not necessarily artistic, success.
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sanctimonious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctimonious
Adjective
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Supported, at least initially, by his pious wife, Najmeh (Soheila Golestani), and his two teenage daughters, Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki), Iman and his clan seem set for a comfy bourgeois life.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
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She was considered pious and held in high regard in the community, which made the accusations against her surprising.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Without the artist, the law becomes meaningless.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
On Saturday, a group of Texas A&M fans gathered in a hole in the LSU student section and did some of LSU’s cheers after the Tigers scored a meaningless touchdown in the final moments.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sanctimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctimonious. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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