sanctimony

[sangk-tuh-moh-nee]

noun

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

2. Obsolete.,  sanctity; sacredness.

Other Word Forms

• nonsanctimony noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanctimony¹

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

Example Sentences

As the country heads into July 4th weekend — a national holiday defined by paper plates, barbecue sauce and a proud disregard for utensils — the sanctimony around “civilized” eating feels more than a little selective.

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Stephen resists having his intellectual freedom ensnared by patriotic sanctimony: “Let my country die for me,” he drunkenly tells a British soldier.

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On a surface level, this pairing of Trump's open disregard for basic marital morality with Vance's sanctimony is just an extension of the larger incoherence that characterizes this year's Republican National Convention.

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When you're writing about topics this raw it's easy to slip into humourless sanctimony, but Walker's music is located in compassion, always finding nuggets of hope and happiness in the darkness.

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It's the revenge of the mediocre, to paint sincere concern about the world as sanctimony.

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