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 Pope has been criticized by sanctimonious warmongers for being inappropriately religious.
—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
But Michael assessed Anthropic’s terms as both restrictive and sanctimonious.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
The spiral of events that follow ups the pathos while quietly commenting on rigid patriarchal rules, male privilege, sanctimonious moral posturing, the denial of women’s bodily autonomy and contempt for otherness, things all still very much with us today.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
There’s nothing sanctimonious about insisting on civil rights for transgender people nor about fighting for racial justice.
—
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sanctimonious
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
But Michael assessed Anthropic’s terms as both restrictive and sanctimonious.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
The spiral of events that follow ups the pathos while quietly commenting on rigid patriarchal rules, male privilege, sanctimonious moral posturing, the denial of women’s bodily autonomy and contempt for otherness, things all still very much with us today.
—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
There’s nothing sanctimonious about insisting on civil rights for transgender people nor about fighting for racial justice.
—
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sanctimonious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctimonious
Adjective
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However, this distinction did more than pit pious Americans against an atheist enemy.
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In Wake-Keeper (2026), a roughly four-by-five-foot canvas, a pious man draped in the red cloth of traditional Ghanaian funeral attire sits on a stool with his hands clasped, his body facing the left side of the frame.
Adjective
-
Relatively meaningless but still badass.
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At its core, unlike those meaningless marketing terms, ‘regenerative,’ when used responsibly, is legitimately full of deep meaning and has the potential to make significant human and environmental change when adopted at scale.
Cite this Entry
“Sanctimonious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctimonious. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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