sanctimonious

[ sangk-tuh-moh-nee-uhs ]
See synonyms for: sanctimonioussanctimoniousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness, etc.: They resented his sanctimonious comments on immorality in America.

  2. Obsolete. holy; sacred.

Origin of sanctimonious

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; sanctimony + -ous

Other words from sanctimonious

  • sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverb
  • sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ness, noun
  • non·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous, adjective
  • non·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverb
  • non·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ness, noun
  • un·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous, adjective
  • un·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverb
  • un·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ness, noun

Words Nearby sanctimonious

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How to use sanctimonious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sanctimonious

sanctimonious

/ (ˌsæŋktɪˈməʊnɪəs) /


adjective
  1. affecting piety or making a display of holiness

Origin of sanctimonious

1
C17: from Latin sanctimonia sanctity, from sanctus holy

Derived forms of sanctimonious

  • sanctimoniously, adverb
  • sanctimoniousness, noun
  • sanctimony, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012