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

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self-righteous British  

adjective

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

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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

A light touch works better than self-righteous hectoring.

From The Wall Street Journal

I could feel their disgust and their self-righteous cancellation in every one of the innumerable wounds I already had.

From Los Angeles Times

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

"The main part of it when it comes to religion is being right with God, rather than being self-righteous."

From BBC

At international forums, Indian officials have adopted a self-righteous tone, which plays well in India but wins few friends in the West.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• complacent
• egotistical
• hypocritical
• pious
• sanctimonious