Pharisaic

[ far-uh-sey-ik ]

/ ˌfær əˈseɪ ɪk /

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See 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.

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Also Phar·i·sa·i·cal

[far-uh-sey-i-kuhl] /ˌfær əˈseɪ ɪ kəl/ .

Origin of Pharisaic

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

OTHER WORDS FROM Pharisaic

Phar·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. 2023

How to use Pharisaic in a sentence

There was a smirk of pharisaical satisfaction on their faces.
My New Curate|P.A. Sheehan
Americans think their mode of keeping Sunday is unholy; they, that ours is Jewish and pharisaical.
Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 2 (of 3)|Theodore Parker
He laughed at it just as much; in short, he declared the rule absurd, pharisaical, and contrary to the spirit of the Gospel.
Bouvard and Pcuchet, part 2|Gustave Flaubert
If only our poor horses could vote, what a different attitude would our pharisaical politicians at once adopt towards them!
Animal Ghosts|Elliott O'Donnell

The leaders of the Opposition carried it before them, with ostentation and loud pharisaical rant, in the late political battle.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 86, December, 1864|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Pharisaic

Pharisaic

Pharisaical

/ (ˌfærɪˈseɪɪk) /

adjective

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

(often not capital) righteously hypocritical

Derived forms of Pharisaic

Pharisaically, 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