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sanctimonious

[ sangk-tuh-moh-nee-uhs ]
/ ˌsæŋk təˈmoʊ ni əs /
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See synonyms for: sanctimonious / sanctimoniousness 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.
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Origin of sanctimonious

First recorded in 1595–1605; sanctimony + -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM sanctimonious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to sanctimonious

hypocritical, insincere, pious, self-satisfied, smug, stuffy, bigoted, canting, deceiving, false, goody-goody, holier-than-thou, pharisaical, pietistic, preachy, unctuous

How to use sanctimonious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sanctimonious

sanctimonious
/ (ˌsæŋktɪˈməʊnɪəs) /
adjective
affecting piety or making a display of holiness

Derived forms of sanctimonious

sanctimoniously, 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
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