sanctimony

American  

[sangk-tuh-moh-nee] / ˈsæŋk təˌmoʊ ni /

noun

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

2. Obsolete. sanctity; sacredness.

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Other Word Forms

• nonsanctimony
  noun

Etymology

Origin of sanctimony

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

Explanation

The annoying trait of acting morally superior to others is called sanctimony. Your brother's sanctimony about being quiet after nine o'clock might make you want to have a loud dance party at midnight. When you find yourself giving an insincere, smug lecture to your friends about the way they should behave or the things they ought to do, you're guilty of sanctimony. Before this word (and its partner, sanctimonious) gained its modern meaning, it was used un-ironically, to mean "virtuousness." It comes from the Latin sanctimonia, "holiness," from the root sanctus, "holy."

Example Sentences

To test his methods, I ask Skaterschikov’s firm to analyze Sanctimony, the Hirst on sale at Sotheby’s in November.

From BusinessWeek • Nov. 21, 2012

Mugrabi pulls up the auction listing for Sanctimony on the Sotheby’s website.

From BusinessWeek • Nov. 21, 2012

By the time the auction gets to Sanctimony, the trophy items are gone and the room is half-empty.

From BusinessWeek • Nov. 21, 2012

It’s a hefty discount, but at least someone is still willing to buy the Sanctimony.

From BusinessWeek • Nov. 21, 2012

Sanctimony, of course, is also a journalistic sin, and Fallows could be faulted for that if his own credentials were not so pristine.

From Time Magazine Archive