Pharisaic

or Phar·i·sa·i·cal

[far-uh-sey-ik or far-uh-sey-i-kuh l]

See more synonyms for Pharisaic on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.

Origin of Pharisaic

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

Related formsPhar·i·sa·i·cal·ly, adverbPhar·i·sa·i·cal·ess, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for pharisaical

affected, artificial, assuming, bland, canting, captious, deceptive, double, double-dealing, duplicitous, faithless, fishy, fraudulent, glib, hollow, insincere, left-handed, lying, oily, Pecksniffian

Examples from the Web for pharisaical

Historical Examples of pharisaical

We forgive his insight, because there is nothing in it Pharisaical.
A Writer's Recollections (In Two Volumes), Volume II
Mrs. Humphry Ward
There was a smirk of pharisaical satisfaction on their faces.
My New Curate
P.A. Sheehan
But he was too honest not to detect almost at once his own Pharisaical, un-Christlike spirit.
We Two
Edna Lyall
"Obvious from your pharisaical expression, perhaps," he said good-naturedly.
Mother Earth, Vol. 1 No. 2, April 1906
Various
What shall be done to remove their noble and pharisaical indolence?
Mysterious Psychic Forces
Camille Flammarion

British Dictionary definitions for pharisaical

Pharisaic

Pharisaical

adjective

Judaism of, relating to, or characteristic of the Pharisees or Pharisaism
(often not capital) righteously hypocritical

Derived FormsPharisaically, adverbPharisaicalness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for pharisaical

pharisaic

adj.

1610s, from Church Latin pharisaicus, from Greek pharisaikos, from pharisaios (see Pharisee). Related: Pharisaical (1530s).