Pharisaic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the Pharisees.
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(lowercase) practicing or advocating strict observance of external forms and ceremonies of religion or conduct without regard to the spirit; self-righteous; hypocritical.
adjective
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Judaism of, relating to, or characteristic of the Pharisees or Pharisaism
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(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.
He supported a halacha similar to that of the sect and opposed the Pharisaic leadership.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
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
These two books form the only Apology in Jewish literature for the religious and civil hegemony of the Maccabees from the Pharisaic standpoint.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2 "Anjar" to "Apollo" by Various
The Paulinian idea that baptism creates a new Adam in place of the old is but an adaptation of the Pharisaic view.
From Jewish Theology by Kaufmann Kohler
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