sanctimony
noun
sanc·ti·mo·ny
ˈsaŋ(k)-tə-ˌmō-nē 
plural sanctimonies
1
obsolete
: holiness
2
: affected or hypocritical holiness
Examples of sanctimony in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Despite all the pastor’s conventionality and sanctimony, there are flames between them, but those flickers run fairly cool until a breaking point in which Manders at last makes explicit reference to them.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sanctimony
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.
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for sanctimony
Cite this Entry
“Sanctimony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanctimony. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share