Pharisaic
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the Pharisees.
-
(lowercase) practicing or advocating strict observance of external forms and ceremonies of religion or conduct without regard to the spirit; self-righteous; hypocritical.
adjective
-
Judaism of, relating to, or characteristic of the Pharisees or Pharisaism
-
(often not capital) righteously hypocritical
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing pharisaic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
In contrast to them Pharisaic or Rabbinic Judaism teaches a resurrection after death for a life of eternal bliss or eternal torment, according as the divine judgment finds one righteous and another wicked.
From Jewish Theology by Kohler, Kaufmann
There may have been much of the Pharisaic spirit of self-complacency among the disciples and some of it even among the Twelve.
From Jesus the Christ A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern by Talmage, James Edward
Some of the brightest jewels which shine in the life of Christ are the pure pearly coverings which he threw around Pharisaic pride, or Sadducean unbelief, or the self-righteous stumbles of his own disciples.
From The Parables of Our Lord by Arnot, William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
