sanctimony

American  

[sangk-tuh-moh-nee] / ˈsæŋk təˌmoʊ ni /

noun

1. pretended, affected, or hypocritical religious devotion, righteousness, etc.

2. Obsolete. sanctity; sacredness.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsanctimony
  noun

Etymology

Origin of sanctimony

First recorded in 1530–40, sanctimony is from the Latin word sānctimōnia holiness. See Sanctus, -mony

Explanation

The annoying trait of acting morally superior to others is called sanctimony. Your brother's sanctimony about being quiet after nine o'clock might make you want to have a loud dance party at midnight. When you find yourself giving an insincere, smug lecture to your friends about the way they should behave or the things they ought to do, you're guilty of sanctimony. Before this word (and its partner, sanctimonious) gained its modern meaning, it was used un-ironically, to mean "virtuousness." It comes from the Latin sanctimonia, "holiness," from the root sanctus, "holy."

Example Sentences

It’s hard to come to terms with the fatuous sanctimony of Romney’s argument.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2023

What gets people going — besides trolling — is sanctimony.

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2022

Burnham is gifted at mocking the performative liberal sanctimony of the moment as well as corporate attempts to exploit it, such as his very realistic YouTube ads that pop up below.

From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2022

Many have criticised the T-shirts but Trump Jr has defended the product, tweeting: "Spare me your fake sanctimony."

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2021

She wrote about the tendency of Nigerian women to give advice, sincere advice dense with sanctimony.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie