Pecksniffian

[ pek-snif-ee-uhn ]

/ pɛkˈsnɪf i ən /

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adjective (often lowercase)

hypocritically and unctuously affecting benevolence or high moral principles.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

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candypuff

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Sometimes Peck·sniff·ish .

Origin of Pecksniffian

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

OTHER WORDS FROM Pecksniffian

Peck·sniff·er·y, Peck·sniff·i·an·ism, Peck·sniff·ism, noun

Words nearby Pecksniffian

pecking order, Peckinpah, peckish, Peck's Bad Boy, pecksniff, Pecksniffian, pecky, Pecorino, Pecos, Pecos Bill, pecs

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Pecksniffian in a sentence

Of course, one should be cautious here, so as not to seem merely puritanical or Pecksniffian.
Literature in the Elementary School|Porter Lander MacClintock
He was, after a fashion, a Pecksniffian man, this Henry Ham.
The Sea Bride|Ben Ames Williams
He posed as the Pecksniffian leader of Reform and the reform he advocated always meant the lash for the man who toils.
The Fall of a Nation|Thomas Dixon
At all events, Philadelphia is the most pecksniffian of American cities, and thus probably leads the world.
The American Language|Henry L. Mencken

Piety was certainly hers, in a Pecksniffian sense, but the commercial instinct leavened the loaf.
Wanted: A Cook|Alan Dale

British Dictionary definitions for Pecksniffian

Pecksniffian

/ (pɛkˈsnɪfɪən) /

adjective

affecting benevolence or high moral principles

Word Origin for Pecksniffian

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012