as in affectation
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctimoniousness
Noun
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Slumming with her sister in San Francisco after her life with her Madoff-like ex in New York implodes, Jasmine Francis isn't quite willing to let go of the affectations that come with living in high society.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026 -
For the most part though, For the First Time, Again is weighed down by oversinging and emotional affectation.—
Millan Verma,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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My disappointment in Vigil came down to the waste of a perfect setup for exhibiting the worldly redemption of art—that is, its power to redeem us from insensitivity and self-satisfaction.—
Julius Taranto,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
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There’s a fine line between righteousness and self-satisfaction, and the second season, which premieres on HBO Max on January 8, frequently stumbles into the latter territory.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But Flynn also oozes sniveling self-righteousness while hotly defending and petitioning for childhood innocence (amusing hints emerge that the daughter is a somewhat lazy and dim underachiever).—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
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But where the stalker remains self-deluded to the end, Jack’s self-righteousness is tinged with self-awareness.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The lack of pretentiousness signals something about who’s welcome there.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
29 Nov. 2025
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There’s a pretentiousness that begins to show itself as folks get more comfortable.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Another 24% of participants cited poor leadership, dishonesty and personal dislikes as their reason for disapproving.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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Her cross-examination — with its rapid-fire accusations, caustic tone and presumption of dishonesty — had felt eerily familiar after years of verbal abuse.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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However genuine their connection, their paths were forged in deception and self-loathing.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
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Their commitment to the deception has no limit.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Any time there is a crisis in Iran, the 1953 British-American coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh is dusted off as Exhibit A in the case against Western perfidy.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
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But the mayor’s dramatic tale of his predecessor’s fiscal fiddling was designed with a clear political agenda in mind: both to underline the magnitude of the problem and to identify the villains responsible for this perfidy.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Electric Bleu is a testament to the reality that food can be technically precise and expertly executed, without the pretension and toxicity so often associated with fine dining kitchens.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
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There’s no phoniness, no pretension.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Sanctimoniousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctimoniousness. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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