sanctimonious

[ sangk-tuh-moh-nee-uh s ]

/ ˌsæŋk təˈmoʊ ni əs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sanctimonious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness, etc.: They resented his sanctimonious comments on immorality in America.

Obsolete. holy; sacred.

Nearby words

Origin of sanctimonious

First recorded in 1595–1605; sanctimony + -ous

Related forms

sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverbsanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ness, nounnon·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous, adjectivenon·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverb

non·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ness, nounun·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous, adjectiveun·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverbun·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for sanctimonious

The sanctimonious, the puritans of all stripes, and the killjoys in general raise the issue annually.
Keep Christmas Commercialized!|P. J. O’Rourke|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is a sanctimonious doctor show combined with a sanctimonious mob drama—and misses the core of the profession.
‘Mob Doctor’: Boring TV Show Misses the Mark on What Physicians Do|Kent Sepkowitz|September 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One purported fan blogged a review calling the interlude “an interminable and sanctimonious speech.”
Intimate Madonna Show at Paris’s Olympia Hall Turns Ugly|Tracy McNicoll|July 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Other terms for Santorum: “religious,” “sanctimonious,” and “God-talker.”
The GOP Candidates Defined? A Word Cloud From Daily Beast Readers|Sam Schlinkert|February 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The pious, sanctimonious Oscar ceremony is how Hollywood wants to see itself.
The Gaudy, Gauche and Sometimes Corrupt Greatness of the Golden Globes|Richard Rushfield|January 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Christianity, in his mind, had to do with sanctimonious Puritanism.
Narcissus|Evelyn Scott
The sanctimonious and lugubrious Sleek; the effusive and rubicund Toodles!
William E. Burton: Actor, Author, and Manager|William L. Keese
If ever I ran afoul of a sanctimonious pair of hypocrites they're the pair.
Kent Knowles: Quahaug|Joseph C. Lincoln
It's true her husband was the most sanctimonious prig I've ever met in my life.
Plays: Lady Frederick, The Explorer, A Man of Honor|William Somerset Maugham
He never cheated me, and I find him better company than your sanctimonious, psalm-singing sort.
Satan Sanderson|Hallie Erminie Rives

British Dictionary definitions for sanctimonious

sanctimonious

/ (ˌsæŋktɪˈməʊnɪəs) /

adjective

affecting piety or making a display of holiness

Derived Formssanctimoniously, adverbsanctimoniousness, nounsanctimony, noun

Word Origin for sanctimonious

C17: from Latin sanctimonia sanctity, from sanctus holy

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

sanctimonious

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of sanctimonious

Examples from the Web for sanctimonious

sanctimonious

adjective

Word Origin for sanctimonious