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
How The Dividing Sky is different: The self-righteous rookie sent to arrest the main character falls in love with her in this thrilling enemies-to-lovers romance.
—
Rebecca Dazenbaker, People.com, 15 July 2025
There have been woke activists with a very narrow, self-righteous point of view.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 8 July 2025
Socially engaged cinema of this kind gets a bad rap these days; it is seen as old and tired or, worse still, superior and self-righteous.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 23 May 2025
There’s nothing preachy or self-righteous about Frank’s writing.
—Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-righteous
Rebecca Dazenbaker, People.com, 15 July 2025
There have been woke activists with a very narrow, self-righteous point of view.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 8 July 2025
Socially engaged cinema of this kind gets a bad rap these days; it is seen as old and tired or, worse still, superior and self-righteous.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 23 May 2025
There’s nothing preachy or self-righteous about Frank’s writing.
—Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-righteous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-righteous
Adjective
-
The mobius-thinking at times almost seems like Medieval Zen, what with the emphasis on emptiness and silent meditation, and in fact that was what the Church fathers objected to most: too much quiet, solitary contemplation, not enough pious instruction.—
Jon Raymond
August 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Aug. 2025
-
This may well sound like something that would’ve been played as a pious Christian allegory in another era.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Of course, most of these sanctimonious snore-mongers linger on in one shrunken form or another, still screaming obscenities and shaking their fists at the moon.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
28 June 2025
-
The smug and sanctimonious tenor of their briefing makes that plain.—
Christie D’Zurilla,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
Industry groups insist that they are committed to weeding out dishonest companies that make false claims or sell dangerous products.—
Suzy Khimm,
NBC news,
26 Aug. 2025
-
No, it was done to protect dishonest businesses.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
His disdain for the brothers’ moralistic literary choices was clear.—
Time,
Time,
23 July 2025
-
Intervention by authorities has Indian moviegoers fuming, who accuse the censors of making moralistic changes while adopting a double standard for Bollywood films, which are often laced with innuendos, misogyny and sensual scenes.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
16 July 2025
Adjective
-
Though the former couple remained close in the years after their separation, their relationship allegedly became strained when Simon stopped paying for their children’s school and medical fees following a change on his tax return.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
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In contrast to Bella’s strained relationship with Coverley, her bond with her father was effortless.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Strong applications are not built on superficial prestige or last-minute resume padding.—
Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
See, this is the problem with our superficial Instagram culture.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Delegates and party leaders described it as a corrupt and hypocritical maneuver from the governor.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Meghan McCain, the conservative commentator and daughter of late Senator John McCain, faced immediate backlash after mocking Greta Thunberg's appearance, comparing the Swedish climate activist to Shrek villain Lord Farquaad in a post critics slammed as hypocritical.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The other dozen arrived thanks to Anisimova’s six unforced errors and six forced errors.—
Howard Fendrich,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
-
In the Broncos’ only regular-season loss, in September at No. 7 Oregon, Simpson had five tackles, 1.5 for loss, a solo sack and a forced fumble.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-righteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-righteous. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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