Pharisaism
Americannoun
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the principles and practices of the Pharisees.
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(lowercase) rigid observance of external forms of religion or conduct without genuine piety; hypocrisy.
noun
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Judaism the tenets and customs of the Pharisees
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(often not capital) observance of the external forms of religion without genuine belief; hypocrisy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of Pharisaism
From the New Latin word Pharisaismus, dating back to 1595–1605. See Pharisaic, -ism
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.
His smirking and somewhat subversive accommodation to this Pharisaism is to emphasize the ways in which Black English is more complex than Standard English.
From The New Yorker • May 8, 2017
Emphasis on visible authority and external practices had brought the Roman Catholic Church, they thought, to Pharisaism and travesty; they hoped to avoid the same pitfall by stressing an inward spirituality.
From Time Magazine Archive
But what is this spirit but, for good or for evil, the spirit of Pharisaism under a wholly different dress?
From St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, Vol. I A Practical Exposition by Gore, Charles
Above all, she says, nuns must learn to eschew Pharisaism, the better-than-thou frame of mind.
From Women of Mediæval France Woman: in all ages and in all countries Vol. 5 (of 10) by Butler, Pierce
The reaction of superstition, it has been said, is to infidelity; and the reaction from Pharisaism was to Sadduceeism.
From John the Baptist by Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton)
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.
