holier-than-thou
Americanadjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of holier-than-thou
First recorded in 1910–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As The Outline saliently noted in 2019, this disposition seemed to suggest a holier-than-thou elitism.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2026
“It’s like a milkshake gone bad. I don’t like holier-than-thou people. I hate that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2024
In 2006, South Park devoted an entire episode, called "Smug Alert," to making fun of holier-than-thou Prius owners.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2022
Their core complaint is the court’s holier-than-thou posture, exemplified by the black robes the justices wear in public.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2022
If someone had asked her, a month or even a week before, to guess what she might have felt, she might have anticipated a sliver of gloating, or at least a moment of holier-than-thou.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
