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Showing results for self-righteous. Search instead for self-righteously.
Synonyms

self-righteous

American  
[self-rahy-chuhs, self-] / ˌsɛlfˈraɪ tʃəs, ˈsɛlf- /

adjective

  1. confident of one's own righteousness, especially when smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.

    Synonyms:
    pharisaical, sanctimonious
self-righteous British  

adjective

  1. having or showing an exaggerated awareness of one's own virtuousness or rights

"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

Other Word Forms

  • self-righteously adverb
  • self-righteousness noun
  • unself-righteous adjective
  • unself-righteously adverb
  • unself-righteousness noun

Etymology

Origin of self-righteous

First recorded in 1670–80

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

How would I experience it as the middle-aged tourist I am today, one who prefers comfort over self-righteous deprivation?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

Smug, as we use it as a synonym for conceited or self-righteous, emerged from its earlier sense of “neat and trim,” which is exactly the ideal of a pert bump.

From Slate • Jul. 21, 2025

We remember them as they actually are because we grew up among them: bitter, mean, and self-righteous.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2025

Already he felt almost self-righteous about his new life because it was going to be Down to Earth, Humble, Unpretentious, Real.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

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.