Pharisee
Americannoun
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a member of a Jewish sect that flourished during the 1st century b.c. and 1st century a.d. and that differed from the Sadducees chiefly in its strict observance of religious ceremonies and practices, adherence to oral laws and traditions, and belief in an afterlife and the coming of a Messiah.
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(lowercase) a sanctimonious, self-righteous, or hypocritical person.
noun
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Judaism a member of an ancient Jewish sect that was opposed to the Sadducees, teaching strict observance of Jewish tradition as interpreted rabbinically and believing in life after death and in the coming of the Messiah
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(often not capital) a self-righteous or hypocritical person
Etymology
Origin of Pharisee
before 900; Middle English Pharise, Farise, Old English Farīsēus < Late Latin Pharīsēus, variant of Pharīsaeus < Greek Pharīsaîos < Aramaic pərīshayyā, plural of pərīshā literally, separated
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.
The rebuke by the Pharisees who saw this elicited Jesus’ rebuttal that he was “Lord even of the Sabbath” in Matthew 12:8.
From Washington Times
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!" says Jesus in Matthew 23.
From Salon
“You see him standing up to the Pharisees. He would have been able to give it right back on the field.”
From New York Times
No one now reads his scholarly disquisitions on the Tower of Babel, or on the Scribes and the Pharisees.
From Literature
The season consists of eight episodes, and by episode seven, viewers have been introduced to many prominent Biblical characters - like Jesus' diciples Simon and Andrew, Matthew the tax collector, and the Pharisee Nicodemus.
From Fox News
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.
