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

Example Sentences

A light touch works better than self-righteous hectoring.

From The Wall Street Journal

I could feel their disgust and their self-righteous cancellation in every one of the innumerable wounds I already had.

From Los Angeles Times

MacGruber starts the sketch self-righteous, noting that the “rich and powerful have lived by a different set of rules than the rest of us.”

From Salon

“I know James isn’t going to take the impression in a more self-righteous or shrill direction,” he says—not because “SNL” is playing things safe, but because the bit simply wouldn’t be as funny.

From The Wall Street Journal

We remember them as they actually are because we grew up among them: bitter, mean, and self-righteous.

From Salon

Related Words

• complacent
• egotistical
• hypocritical
• pious
• sanctimonious