sanctimonious
[ sangk-tuh-moh-nee-uhs ]
/ ˌsæŋk təˈmoʊ ni əs /
adjective
making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness, etc.: They resented his sanctimonious comments on immorality in America.
Obsolete. holy; sacred.
QUIZZES
WHO SAID IT: A QUIZ ON PRESIDENTIAL WIT AND WISDOM
Think you know your presidents? Take this quiz and see if you can match the style, wit, and ideology of these memorable lines to the right POTUS.
Question 1 of 9
“I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, 10 angels swearing I was right would make no difference.”
Origin of sanctimonious
First recorded in 1595–1605; sanctimony + -ous
OTHER WORDS FROM sanctimonious
Words nearby sanctimonious
San Clemente, San Clemente Island, San Cristóbal, sanctified, sanctify, sanctimonious, sanctimony, sanction, sanction mark, sanctitude, sanctity
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for sanctimonious
British Dictionary definitions for sanctimonious
sanctimonious
/ (ˌsæŋktɪˈməʊnɪəs) /
adjective
affecting piety or making a display of holiness
Derived forms of sanctimonious
sanctimoniously, adverbsanctimoniousness, nounsanctimony, nounWord 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