sententiously

American  

[sen-ten-shuhs-lee] / sɛnˈtɛn ʃəs li /

adverb

1. in the manner of a pithy saying or aphorism.

   “A camel is the only wealth that carries itself,” observed Digby sententiously.

2. in a way that is self-righteous or excessively moralizing.

   The novel is not sententiously written, but its lessons are clear and well taken.

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Other Word Forms

• nonsententiously adverb
• unsententiously adverb

Etymology

Origin of sententiously

sententious ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Chloe fervidly supports him, admitting that she — and her generation, she adds sententiously — “didn’t do enough. We stood by and watched it all happen.”

From New York Times

“And that,” put in the Director sententiously, “that is the secret of happiness and virtue—liking what you’ve got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapable social destiny.”

From Literature

“Thought- crime is a dreadful thing, old man,” he said sententiously.

From Literature

"When I was touring in Switzerland last autumn," says Fentiman sententiously, "I gave one whole day to Schaffhausen, and it amply repaid me for the time and trouble."

From Project Gutenberg

“The men of the present day are not to be compared with those of ancient times,” remarks another sententiously, as though he were one of the sages of China.

From Project Gutenberg