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
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
-
Associated Press What To Know Maduro's comments come after decades of strained relations between the two countries, with Washington refusing to recognize his presidency since 2019 in favor of the opposition leader Juan Guaidó.—
Suzanne Blake
John Feng
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
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There is nothing funny about the film’s jokey title, which is just a strained metaphor.—
Caryn James,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But a focus on just its components is too superficial and narrow a perspective.—
GARY ROUGHEAD,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Right from the beginning, through these influencer events alone, Cécred established itself as credible and personal, whereas other brands might have kept their influencer relationships at a superficial level.—
Braedon Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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Republicans, however, have called Democrats hypocritical, noting that several of the states to which Texas Democrats fled during their quorum break were ones that have been gerrymandered.—
Caroline Vakil,
The Hill,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The Biden administration particularly focused on how the exemption allowed goods made with forced labor to make it into the country in violation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,Melissa Repko,Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
29 Aug. 2025
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Green Bay also finished seventh in rushing defense and was fourth in forced turnovers with 31.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-righteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-righteous. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
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