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
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
That online comment was characteristic of the usual sanctimonious pablum, the kind of casual moral high ground afforded only to a native English speaker or to someone willfully ignorant of the daily indignities non-native speakers face.
—Sheon Han, Wired News, 27 Oct. 2025
Forget any sanctimonious spewing sermon about pro sports foolishly believing these types of things would not happen.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2025
Just enough with the sanctimonious explanations.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sanctimonious
Judy Berman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
That online comment was characteristic of the usual sanctimonious pablum, the kind of casual moral high ground afforded only to a native English speaker or to someone willfully ignorant of the daily indignities non-native speakers face.
—Sheon Han, Wired News, 27 Oct. 2025
Forget any sanctimonious spewing sermon about pro sports foolishly believing these types of things would not happen.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2025
Just enough with the sanctimonious explanations.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sanctimonious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctimonious
Adjective
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In theory, their story ought to have enough drama to satisfy both pious and secular tastes.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Mar. 2026
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In his native Paine, a quiet agricultural town just south of Santiago, some residents remember the Kast family fondly as a pious clan who built a successful meat and restaurant business.—
John Bartlett,
NPR,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Spring training numbers are ultimately meaningless, but Garrett Crochet will likely be happy to put this camp behind him.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
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Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole is lightly serialized, but following the ongoing story is not really the point; in a meta effort to convey how time is meaningless to the immortal, Stamatopoulos requested that the first season be aired in a random order.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sanctimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctimonious. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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