Pharisaic

[ far-uh-sey-ik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the Pharisees.
2. (lowercase) practicing or advocating strict observance of external forms and ceremonies of religion or conduct without regard to the spirit; self-righteous; hypocritical.

Pharisaic

/ ˌfærɪˈseɪɪk /

adjective

1. Judaism of, relating to, or characteristic of the Pharisees or Pharisaism
2. often not capital righteously hypocritical

Derived Forms

• ˌPhariˈsaicalness, noun
• ˌPhariˈsaically, adverb

Other Words From

• Phar·i·sa·i·cal·ly adverb
• Phar·i·sa·i·cal·ess noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pharisaic¹

1610–20; < Late Latin Pharisaicus < Greek Pharisaikós. See Pharisee, -ic

Example Sentences

It goes to show that the tension between wanting to adhere to the intention of the season without being Pharisaic in this endeavor isn't a new feeling for the devout — nor is the desire to find a spiritual loophole one that will likely be lost on future generations of Catholics.

From Salon

It goes to show that the tension between wanting to adhere to the intention of the season without being Pharisaic in this endeavor isn't a new feeling for the devout — nor is the desire to find a spiritual loophole one that will likely be lost on future generations of Catholics.

From Salon

The Pharisaic Holy Roller, who sang hymns while he jogged, became fixated on Bill Clinton’s sex life in a warped way.

From New York Times

All of those directives issued by the American military headquarters in Saigon about taking care to avoid civilian casualties, about protecting the livestock and the homes of the peasantry, were the sort of pharisaic prattle you hear from many American institutions.

From New York Times

Like the Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale and other Pharisaic Holy Rollers before him, the prosecutor who read the Bible and sang hymns when he jogged became fixated on sex in an unhealthy, warped way.

From New York Times