as in pious
disapproving
having or showing a strong belief that your own actions, opinions, etc., are right and other people's are wrong
a self-righteous tone It's OK to criticize, but don't get self-righteous about it.
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Recent Examples of self-righteous
They are sent off to a grandmother in Ontario who is the epitome of cold, self-righteous Protestant virtue.
—
Margaret Atwood, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
Today's Democratic party is dominated by self-righteous, upper-middle class, coastal elites—people wealthy enough to avoid sending their children to failing public schools and able to overlook the true costs of their green agenda.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025
This is usually where the self-righteous defenders of Trump’s blatantly unconstitutional tactics insist that the protections of the Constitution only apply to U.S. citizens.
—Nisha Whitehead, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2025
William is a self-righteous and conspiracy-minded and ruthlessly ambitious man who hides his darker side behind a charming facade.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-righteous
Margaret Atwood, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
Today's Democratic party is dominated by self-righteous, upper-middle class, coastal elites—people wealthy enough to avoid sending their children to failing public schools and able to overlook the true costs of their green agenda.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025
This is usually where the self-righteous defenders of Trump’s blatantly unconstitutional tactics insist that the protections of the Constitution only apply to U.S. citizens.
—Nisha Whitehead, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2025
William is a self-righteous and conspiracy-minded and ruthlessly ambitious man who hides his darker side behind a charming facade.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-righteous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-righteous
Adjective
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Those healthy enough were put through a daily regimen of religious education and physical schooling intended to train them to be pious and obedient.—
Ann Foster,
JSTOR Daily,
9 July 2025
-
Moyers’ preacher-like delivery and emphasis on high moral standards in his commentaries led some people to criticize him as being a pious scold.—
Stephen Battaglio,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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The smug and sanctimonious tenor of their briefing makes that plain.—
Christie D’Zurilla,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
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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
Adjective
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According to Orly Mazur, a tax specialist and associate professor at SMU Dedman School of Law, more people are likely willing to risk being dishonest when filing taxes.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
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And worse yet, someone might be dishonest with you.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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But Europeans cannot simply revert to a moralistic tendency to tell others what to do.—
Josep Borrell Fontelles,
Foreign Affairs,
27 June 2025
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The same moralistic spirit that once defined Minnesota’s politics now fuels passionate polarization.—
David Schultz,
New York Daily News,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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The country’s Transitional Presidential Council also adopted a resolution authorizing the involvement of a controversial force, the Protected Areas Security Brigade, to fight gangs despite the agency’s strained relationships with the Haiti National Police.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
30 June 2025
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On this track, he and FOLA trade lines seamlessly and effortlessly, with the young singer fitting right in on the emotional track about a strained relationship that both sides are trying to save.—
Heran Mamo,
Billboard,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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The aesthetic industry, once seen as superficial, is evolving into a crucial branch of the broader longevity movement.—
Lara Devgan,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Those families tend to be all alike, regardless of the superficial differences among them.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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Later Tuesday, Johnson said the violence in Los Angeles is not comparable to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and said Trump's mass pardons of Jan. 6 rioters were not hypocritical.—
Lauren Peller,
ABC News,
10 June 2025
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Against this backdrop, Iran is leveraging social media and state media to frame the U.S. as unstable and hypocritical—part of a broader strategy to weaken its global credibility amid deepening diplomatic tensions.—
Amanda Castro
Shane Croucher
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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Thankfully, Sedgwick and Bacon don’t just rely on their natural ease with one another, but infuse their characters with something real, even though the circumstances that bring them together feel somewhat forced.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
10 June 2025
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This feels a bit forced and corny, and the director becomes even more outlandish depicting Maggi’s dreams as their relationship feels fully unsalvageable: a rooster disturbs him in real life, then visits him in giant, anthropomorphized form in his dream to injure him or worse.—
David Katz,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-righteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-righteous. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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