sanctimonious
Americanadjective
-
making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness, etc..
They resented his sanctimonious comments on immorality in America.
-
Obsolete. holy; sacred.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nonsanctimonious adjective
- nonsanctimoniously adverb
- nonsanctimoniousness noun
- sanctimoniously adverb
- sanctimoniousness noun
- sanctimony noun
- unsanctimonious adjective
- unsanctimoniously adverb
- unsanctimoniousness noun
Etymology
Origin of sanctimonious
First recorded in 1595–1605; sanctimony + -ous
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.
And their sanctimonious approach to history becomes very tiresome very quickly.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
Via piercing dark humor — including cheeky thoughts from Jonathan’s mind as on-screen text sprinkled throughout — Benaim and writer-director Daniel Poler defy sanctimonious societal expectations imposed on individuals living with physical disabilities.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2025
Somewhat sanctimonious and totally brazen, they solidified my status and signified that I had “made it” as an athlete.
From Salon • Apr. 22, 2024
By that point, the original ethos of the site was gone—it was once a blogger’s blog, full of brilliant and sanctimonious sports and nonsports coverage alike.
From Slate • Mar. 11, 2024
His froglike face grew calmer, and even took on a slightly sanctimonious expression.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
