Pecksniffian

Sometimes Peck·sniff·ish

[pek-snif-ee-uhn]

adjective

(often lowercase)

1. hypocritically and unctuously affecting benevolence or high moral principles.

Pecksniffian

/ pɛkˈsnɪfɪən /

adjective

1. affecting benevolence or high moral principles

Other Word Forms

• Pecksniffery noun
• Pecksniffianism noun
• Pecksniffism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pecksniffian¹

1850–55; named after Seth Pecksniff, character in Martin Chuzzlewit, a novel (1843) by Dickens; -ian

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pecksniffian¹

C19: after Seth Pecksniff, character in Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit (1843)

Example Sentences

With another season underway, suspend your Pecksniffian disapproval of the college football industry’s recent upheavals.

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He is content to address what he calls “a self-selected audience of intellectually upscale readers,” and if you don’t know what he means by “Pecksniffian Comstockery,” tant pis.

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According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Pickwickian, Bumbledom, Gradgrind, Podsnappery, Pecksniffian and the Artful Dodger have also escaped from the novels in which they first appeared to designate types of humanity.

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He is for “fair trade,” a.k.a. protectionism disguised in Pecksniffian sanctimony demanding that less-developed nations adopt stronger labor and environmental standards.

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Insults that are banned include "hypocrite", "blackguard" and "Pecksniffian cant", although only Jacob Rees-Mogg would use that last one these days.

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