holier-than-thou

[hoh-lee-er-thuhn-thou]

adjective

1. obnoxiously pious; sanctimonious; self-righteous.

noun

1. a person who is obnoxiously pious or self-righteous.

Word History and Origins

Origin of holier-than-thou¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

“We can act holier-than-thou. We can sit on the sidelines, talk about the way the world should be, or we can recognize the existential nature that is this moment.”

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“It’s like a milkshake gone bad. I don’t like holier-than-thou people. I hate that.”

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I like that Shetty doesn’t approach his work from a holier-than-thou perspective — his general vibe seems to be, This is what worked for me, and if you want to try it, cool.

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The appeal of “Unholy” comes from the way it wags a lusty finger at holier-than-thou puritanism and presents queerness as the basis of aesthetic liberation.

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Longtime friends lauded Hartmire’s ability to weave his community into social justice causes without coming across as holier-than-thou.

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