self-righteous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-righteous
First recorded in 1670–80
Explanation
A self-righteous person thinks their beliefs and morals are better than everyone else's. If you're quite sure the charity of others pales in comparison with yours, you might be self-righteous. Join the Old English words self, meaning "one's own person," and rightwise, meaning "virtuous," and you've got somebody who thinks very highly of their own morality. A self-righteous person thinks they can do no wrong, and goes about with a "holier-than-thou" attitude, judging and scrutinizing everyone else. A fur designer may view PETA activists as self-righteous when they picket his fashion show. You may consider a friend self-righteous when it comes to musical taste.
Vocabulary lists containing self-righteous
The Great Gilly Hopkins
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Divergent
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For TV producers, it's long been tempting to invite two self-righteous zealots into a studio to bellow at each other.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
But the intensity of our rage can easily come across as self-righteous.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026
I could feel their disgust and their self-righteous cancellation in every one of the innumerable wounds I already had.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2025
MacGruber starts the sketch self-righteous, noting that the “rich and powerful have lived by a different set of rules than the rest of us.”
From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025
Colonel Korn demanded, emulating Colonel Cathcart’s harsh, self-righteous tone.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
