self-righteous

adjective

self-righ·​teous ˌself-ˈrī-chəs How to pronounce self-righteous (audio)
: convinced of one's own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic
self-righteously adverb
self-righteousness noun

Examples of self-righteous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The term, which arguably won Governor Tim Walz the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket, was a stroke of folksy, linguistic genius: finally, a way to dismissively describe Donald Trump and his cohort without dipping into a self-righteous tone that could turn off wary swing voters. Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2024 Meanwhile, everyone is running around talking about governance in such self-righteous ways, but missing the point. Eli Amdur, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024 Elegant, worldly, and self-righteous Antoinette is a long-time divorcee whose life revolves around her weekly hair appointments and her job as a correctional officer at Rikers Island. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2024 Viewer boycotts Remember when all those self-righteous people were going to boycott the NFL because Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality? Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 12 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for self-righteous 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-righteous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1680, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-righteous was circa 1680

Dictionary Entries Near self-righteous

Cite this Entry

“Self-righteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-righteous. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

self-righteous

adjective
self-righ·​teous
ˈsel-ˈfrī-chəs
: strongly convinced of the rightness of one's actions or beliefs
self-righteously adverb
self-righteousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on self-righteous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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