SANCTIMONIOUSNESS Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

sanctimoniousness

noun

Definition of sanctimoniousness

as in affectation

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctimoniousness

Noun

With rare exceptions, EV sound is little more than an affectation.

— Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026
Robinhood's banking product arrived with private-bank affectations, estate planning, event access, cash to the door, priced at $5 a month inside a bundle a 30-year-old already pays for.

— Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of affectation

Noun

His face is a mix of affectlessness and self-satisfaction, putting him somewhere between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, with a touch of the Cheshire cat.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
After 50 minutes of self-satisfaction, the hero fades serenely into a sunset that Dudamel made miraculously mystical.

— Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026

Definition of self-satisfaction

Noun

Although humanity’s salvation may appear to come in fits and starts, God’s healing influence always penetrates and gets through callous self-righteousness and indifference.

— Mark Swinney, Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2026
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

Definition of self-righteousness

Noun

Gabrielle and Katerina credit the enduring appeal of Dan Tana’s to its persistent lack of pretentiousness.

— Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
Advertisement Jones uses his antihero’s blunt self-appraisals to avoid the pretentiousness endemic to stories about artists.

— Judy Berman, Time, 2 June 2026

Definition of pretentiousness

Noun

Set against the backdrop of political dishonesty and the country’s abandonment of ideals, the book probes questions about how to be an artist in the world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
While some view this as a solution to academic dishonesty, experts highlight significant challenges.

— Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of dishonesty

Noun

Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, has highlighted a shift in tactics in museum thefts, from deception and stealth to more aggressive and violent methods.

— Jack Guy, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026
Although Silo 1 discovered her deception, the rebels clamped the pipe in the knick of time.

— Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of deception

Noun

Platner, indeed, has boiled down nearly all political problems to the perfidy of sinister oligarchs.

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
If the landing had been faked, the Soviets would have figured it out and would have loved to reveal to the world America’s perfidy.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 May 2026

Definition of perfidy

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

sanctimonious

sanctimoniousness

sanctimony

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sanctimoniousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctimoniousness. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of sanctimoniousness

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

empirical

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes