sanctimony

[ sangk-tuh-moh-nee ]

/ ˈsæŋk təˌmoʊ ni /

pretended, affected, or hypocritical religious devotion, righteousness, etc.

Obsolete. sanctity; sacredness.

RELATED WORDS

First recorded in 1530–40, sanctimony is from the Latin word sānctimōnia holiness. See Sanctus, -mony

Related formsnon·sanc·ti·mo·ny, noun

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

And far from defining him as an empty suit, it suggests he is one filled with both hubris and sanctimony.
Herman Cain's Power Suit|Robin Givhan|November 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
She remained always allergic to sanctimony, impatient with convention, honest to the point of impropriety.
Dreams of His Mother|Stacy Schiff|May 3, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Humor has given way to humorlessness, sarcasm to sanctimony, irony to invective.
Obama's No Gangster, Bachmann|Matt Latimer|March 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
We at The Daily Beast seek to provide a counterweight to all this sanctimony.
Extremely Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide|The Daily Beast|December 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST

It is a 25-year life of crime presented with the verve of a movie trailer—and without one hint of sanctimony.
Goodfellas Turns 20|Sean Macaulay|September 21, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The ecclesiastical93 monitor, from spur to plume a star of sanctimony, was called the chaplain.
The Army Mule and Other War Sketches|Henry A. Castle
The least that can be said is, that it invests the sanctimony of marriage with the air of an illicit amour.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 67, Number 414, April, 1850|Various

Word Origin and History for sanctimony

1530s, from Middle French sanctimonie, from Latin sanctimonia "sacredness, holiness, virtuousness," from sanctus "holy" (see saint (n.)).