sanctimony

noun

sanc·​ti·​mo·​ny ˈsaŋ(k)-tə-ˌmō-nē How to pronounce sanctimony (audio)
plural sanctimonies
1
obsolete : holiness
2
: affected or hypocritical holiness

Examples of sanctimony in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And Joe Biden’s sanctimony and moralizing seem less jarring when Americans recall that Carter until recently continued to teach a Sunday school class in his home church in Plains, Ga. Philip Elliott, TIME, 9 Jan. 2025 Such sanctimony to think the Gators are positioned to take up Saban's mantle. Blake Toppmeyer, The Tennessean, 10 May 2024 This is the Russia—and the Russians—that Obama inherited in 2009: prideful, angry, and in no mood for the sanctimony that came with the new administration’s stress on democracy promotion. Robert David English, Foreign Affairs, 10 Mar. 2017 Though Europe and America responded with sanctions and sanctimony, the Kremlin was able to thwart Ukraine’s aspirations for ascension to the European Union and force the West to acknowledge Russia’s opinion on geopolitical affairs. Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sanctimony 

Word History

Etymology

Middle French sanctimonie, from Latin sanctimonia, from sanctus

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sanctimony was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near sanctimony

Cite this Entry

“Sanctimony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanctimony. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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