Pharisaic

American  

[far-uh-sey-ik] / ˌfær əˈseɪ ɪk /

Also Pharisaical

adjective

1. of or relating to the Pharisees.

2. (lowercase) practicing or advocating strict observance of external forms and ceremonies of religion or conduct without regard to the spirit; self-righteous; hypocritical.

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Pharisaic British  

/ ˌfærɪˈseɪɪk /

adjective

1. Judaism of, relating to, or characteristic of the Pharisees or Pharisaism

2. (often not capital) righteously hypocritical

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Other Word Forms

• Pharisaicaless noun
• Pharisaically adverb
• Pharisaicalness noun

Etymology

Origin of Pharisaic

1610–20; < Late Latin Pharisaicus < Greek Pharisaikós. See Pharisee, -ic

Explanation

Use the adjective pharisaic to describe a religious person who is smug and judgmental, especially if his actions prove that he's much less holy than he pretends to be. Someone who exaggerates how morally upright or pious she is can be called pharisaic. Another way to say it is "holier-than-thou." Pharisaic people tend to talk a lot about how devout and religious they are, but their actions don't quite measure up to their words. The word pharisaic has its roots in the Greek Pharisaios, which in turn comes from an Aramaic word, perishayya, or "separate." In the history of Judaism, the Pharisees were an important school of religious thought.

Example Sentences

A majority of American Jews today are unaffiliated with the synagogues the Pharisaic rabbis emphasized, and yet 79 percent report feeling "very positive" about being Jewish.

From Slate • Nov. 9, 2012

Promptly, John Hyrcanus switched his favor to the pro-Hellenistic Sadducees and the Pharisaic observances were forbidden.

From Time Magazine Archive

There is a striking analogy between the experiences of Luther under the monachal r�gime and those of Saul of Tarsus under the discipline of the Pharisaic Law.

From Outlines of a Philosophy of Religion based on Psychology and History by Sabatier, Auguste

Yet there was nothing Pharisaic about his speech or bearing.

From The Bishop's Secret by Hume, Fergus

We in England have no right to be Pharisaic at the expense of the Americans in this matter; for we have tried the same trick in a hundred forms.

From What I Saw in America by Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)