sanctimonious

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

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.

Origin of sanctimonious

First recorded in 1595–1605; sanctimony + -ous

Related formssanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverbsanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ness, nounnon·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous, adjectivenon·sanc·ti·mo·ni·ous·ly, adverbnon·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. 2018

Related Words for sanctimoniousness

duplicity, falsity, cant, casuistry, affectation, double-dealing, lie, deception, dishonesty, quackery, speciousness, imposture, mockery, insincerity, pietism, sanctimony, deceit, irreverence, fraud, bigotry

Examples from the Web for sanctimoniousness

Contemporary Examples of sanctimoniousness

“One of his weaknesses is his sanctimoniousness,” says this person, who wished to remain anonymous.
How Mike Daisey’s Zeal Got the Best of Him
Jacob Bernstein
March 17, 2012
So there's a time to be humble and a time to be indignant, sanctimoniousness, a scold, etc.
The Dos and Don'ts of Confessing Affairs
The Daily Beast Video
December 2, 2009

Historical Examples of sanctimoniousness

He has a sharp round face which has not been spoiled by sanctimoniousness.
Our Churches and Chapels
Atticus
I feel sure we generally miss the force of these words through our Caucasian sanctimoniousness.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
Thus the novel fires many a sanctimoniousness, makes lurid many a hesitating life.
A Novelist on Novels
W. L. George
Tall and lean, immaculate and trim, he exhales an atmosphere of sanctimoniousness.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist
Alexander Berkman
Last week three of his 'prentices bolted because they could not stand his sanctimoniousness any longer.
The Day of Wrath
Maurus Jkai

British Dictionary definitions for sanctimoniousness

sanctimonious

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

Word Origin and History for sanctimoniousness

sanctimonious

adj.

c.1600 (in "Measure for Measure," with the disparaging sense "making a show of sanctity, affecting an appearance of holiness"), from sanctimony + -ous. The un-ironic, literal sense was used occasionally in English from c.1600 to c.1800. Related: Sanctimoniously; sanctimoniousness.