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
The timing of Moulton’s hypocritical rebuke of AIPAC is nothing less than a blatant, self-righteous, and cheap play to antisemitism.
—
Elyse Richelle Park, Boston Herald, 4 Nov. 2025
The book hinges on a conflict between self-righteous Burghers, who live in cities, and resentful, paranoid rural people known as Yeomen.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
Their reach and impact collectively are far more effective and balanced than the self-righteous media who chose to self-deport from the Pentagon.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025
But Democrats want someone who fights back rather than gives self-righteous marathon speeches or just fades away.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-righteous
Elyse Richelle Park, Boston Herald, 4 Nov. 2025
The book hinges on a conflict between self-righteous Burghers, who live in cities, and resentful, paranoid rural people known as Yeomen.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
Their reach and impact collectively are far more effective and balanced than the self-righteous media who chose to self-deport from the Pentagon.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025
But Democrats want someone who fights back rather than gives self-righteous marathon speeches or just fades away.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-righteous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-righteous
Adjective
-
The series follows young teens Agnes, dutiful and pious, and Daisy, a new arrival and convert from beyond Gilead’s borders.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Per the official logline, the series follows young teens Agnes, dutiful and pious, and Daisy, a new arrival and convert from beyond Gilead’s borders.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This identity resonates most strongly with MAGA Hardliners and Anti-Woke Conservatives, who believe that the political left has become a sanctimonious elite imposing its worldview on everyone else.—
Daniel Yudkin,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
-
This book exists, in other words, in order for Karp to have written a book … The book is filled with this sort of sanctimonious guff.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Like the other characters in the book, Harper is a stock figure, the brainiac child, but her fearlessness in the face of a crumbling, dishonest world reinvigorates the type.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The American public gained a negative impression of McCarthy–many seeing him as bullying, reckless, and dishonest.—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The United States went to war in 2001 and 2003 with a very moralistic, very crusading view of war, a very black-and-white view that there were good guys and bad guys, and America would wield the swift sword of justice.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
10 Jan. 2026
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To rebuild a consensus, politicians must thus appeal to these swing voters by eschewing moralistic and globalist rhetoric.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The strained awkwardness of Adelina and Alban’s gestures of generosity underscore the class disparity between the city dwellers and their relatives.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Israel were already severely strained after South Africa — a longtime supporter of the Palestinian people — accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza in a case at the United Nations’ top court.—
Gerald Imray,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And to folks unfamiliar with the IP system, that makes some superficial sense.—
David J. Kappos,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Whether opting for a superficial peel like a lactic or glycolic acid, a medium-depth peel such as Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA), or deep treatment such as phenol, a chemical peel can address many skin concerns.—
Essence,
Essence,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
His fall played as tabloid morality tale, at once confirming secular suspicion about hypocritical Christians and Christian suspicions about the temptations of secular trappings.—
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
-
And now, with several countries withdrawing from global governance, Jin thinks those lecturing China on being responsible are being hypocritical.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
14 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
What comes through most vividly is the sense of forced placidity, the assembly-line-like control over life and activity this country club comes to represent.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
-
But, unlike the references to modern beauty and diet culture, which feel organically woven into the story, the guest-star appearances feel forced, as if TV, too, has to transform into something else to stay relevant.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-righteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-righteous. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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