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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Example Sentences
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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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The baron and his pious daughter seem at peace with their mutual estrangement until Zsa-zsa suddenly decides to break that habit.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
-
But while the main character’s mother in that movie was an antagonistic figure, Fatima’s parents are portrayed as kind, not dogmatic or ostentatiously pious.—
Jon Frosch,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Lucas, Diller insists, was a sanctimonious hypocrite.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Harvard’s dishonest expert on honesty is a poignant symbol of a far larger problem in academia: ideological allegiance replacing the quest for truth.—
Andrew Follett,
National Review,
31 May 2025
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On one hand, the inquiry appeared to play into his rivals’ criticisms of Mr. Cuomo as a dishonest broker, who has been accused of putting nursing home residents at risk during the coronavirus pandemic and seeking to cover it up.—
Nicholas Fandos,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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Those on the left must recognize that their moralistic zeal and narrowing of intellectual discourse have turned educational and cultural institutions into engines of alienation, not trust.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
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Aster isn’t merely mocking them; his real point is that moralistic self-righteousness has become a kind of addiction in America.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
Coulombe has been out since May 5 with a strained left forearm.—
Aaron Gleeman,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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The official synopsis for Father Mother Sister Brother reads: Estranged siblings reunite after years apart, forced to confront unresolved tensions and reevaluate their strained relationships with their emotionally distant parents.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Stick’s good feeling is not just superficial, either.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
5 June 2025
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People expect brands to understand them—not in a superficial, segmented way, but in a way that mirrors the nuanced complexity of their lives.—
Vibhor Kapoor,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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And with legalized gambling sites now a huge revenue stream for MLB and many of its teams, the Rose ban seemed hypocritical to some.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2025
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Kathleen O’Leary, Boca Raton Get a mirror, Marco The Republican Party is the most hypocritical group of politicians this country has ever seen, and Marco Rubio its biggest hypocrite of all.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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When downturns hit, too much leverage turns strong companies into forced sellers.—
IESE Business School,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
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Christine Edwards is also charged with a conspiracy to commit forced labor.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-righteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-righteous. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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