self-righteous

American  

[self-rahy-chuhs, self-] / ˌsɛlfˈraɪ tʃəs, ˈsɛlf- /

adjective

1. confident of one's own righteousness, especially when smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.

   Synonyms:

   pharisaical, sanctimonious

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self-righteous British  

adjective

1. having or showing an exaggerated awareness of one's own virtuousness or rights

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Other Word Forms

• self-righteously
  adverb
• self-righteousness
  noun
• unself-righteous
  adjective
• unself-righteously
  adverb
• unself-righteousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of self-righteous

First recorded in 1670–80

Explanation

A self-righteous person thinks their beliefs and morals are better than everyone else's. If you're quite sure the charity of others pales in comparison with yours, you might be self-righteous. Join the Old English words self, meaning "one's own person," and rightwise, meaning "virtuous," and you've got somebody who thinks very highly of their own morality. A self-righteous person thinks they can do no wrong, and goes about with a "holier-than-thou" attitude, judging and scrutinizing everyone else. A fur designer may view PETA activists as self-righteous when they picket his fashion show. You may consider a friend self-righteous when it comes to musical taste.

Related Words

• complacent
• egotistical
• hypocritical
• pious
• sanctimonious