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
In calmer times, a leader expounding from such heights risks sounding preachy and self-righteous.
—
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
In the early days of the drugs’ rollout, a high price tag and a nationwide shortage made off-label A-list users a target of self-righteous mockery.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Open and humorous in person, he was described by critics – and even some supporters – as stubborn, didactic and self-righteous.
—Nicole West Bassoff, The Conversation, 14 Nov. 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.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-righteous
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
In the early days of the drugs’ rollout, a high price tag and a nationwide shortage made off-label A-list users a target of self-righteous mockery.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Open and humorous in person, he was described by critics – and even some supporters – as stubborn, didactic and self-righteous.
—Nicole West Bassoff, The Conversation, 14 Nov. 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.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-righteous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-righteous
Adjective
-
In Wake-Keeper (2026), a roughly four-by-five-foot canvas, a pious man draped in the red cloth of traditional Ghanaian funeral attire sits on a stool with his hands clasped, his body facing the left side of the frame.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
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The aim wasn’t to make the chatbot Bible-thumping or pious.—
Chris Stokel-Walker,
Scientific American,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
That’s when the movie takes a direction that’s both maudlin in the true sense of the word and ultimately even sanctimonious regarding the heroine’s sudden redemption.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
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The 34-year-old Haim, a successful musician who with just four roles in five quick years has also established herself as one of our most fascinating actresses, plays this turn from cheerful bud to sanctimonious hater perfectly.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Twelve out of 13 isn’t bad, and to harp on what hadn’t worked during the Hurricanes’ relatively brief march to the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights would be disingenuous, dishonest and dumb.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
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The use of first-person pronouns is dishonest, but there’s a much deeper issue that goes beyond how a statement is phrased.—
Ted Chiang,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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Last year, a YouTube channel called Akhbar Enfejari (Explosive News) began posting a variety of digital content with a political and moralistic bent.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
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Good intentions — and handsome animation — aside, Forevergreen is ultimately too maudlin and moralistic to rank it much higher than this.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Last year, Hernández played in just one rehab game returning from a strained groin.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Large parts of its war effort are now unmanned, the robots, drones, and remotely piloted tanks giving it a sudden, albeit fragile, edge over a lumbering and strained Russian invader.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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But our conversation ended up being so much about women and mothers generally, and how people in their lives create these illusions of normalcy and these illusions of perfection based on superficial stuff.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
6 June 2026
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Her music owned up to being horny, garish, and superficial, but could scan as thin or cheap when held up to other kinds of ethical or political scrutiny.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Earlier this month, Matsui’s campaign came after Vang for taking corporate donations from Sacramento-area businesses during her city council campaigns, implying that Vang’s vows to not accept money from corporate PACs in her congressional bid is hypocritical.—
Mathew Miranda
June 4,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2026
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People are fixating on celebrities of all kinds, accusing singers of body-positive anthems of being hypocritical, rolling their eyes at athletes promoting weight loss drugs and whispering about the thinness of their favorite movie stars.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
The French Cour d’appel de Versailles determined that a child could claim against assets located in France even though the decedent had validly designated the succession laws of a foreign country that did not recognize forced heirship.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Stephen Colbert, Letterman’s successor as host of CBS’s The Late Show for the past 11 years, is leaving his job under more forced, awkward circumstances.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-righteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-righteous. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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