Synonyms of sanctimonious

sanctimonious

adjective

as in pious

formal + disapproving pretending to be morally better than other people

sanctimonious politicians

A sanctimonious speech from someone who refused to acknowledge his own past failings.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pious
• meaningless
• hollow
• moralistic
• strained
• superficial
• hypocritical
• pharisaical
• dishonest
• self-righteous
• fake
• holier-than-thou
• unctuous
• insincere
• false
• phoney
• forced
• canting
• phony
• simon-pure
• double
• mechanical
• feigned
• contrived
• goody-goody
• backhanded
• unnatural
• sham
• artificial
• lip
• phony-baloney
• counterfeit
• phoney-baloney
• mealy
• pretended
• jive
• two-faced
• rectitudinous
• simulated
• double-dealing
• assumed
• deceitful
• mealymouthed
• claptrap
• double-faced
• empty
• affected
• glib
• Janus-faced
• untruthful
• put-on
• devious
• Pecksniffian
• facile
• left-handed
• bogus
• facetious
• jocular
• tongue-in-cheek
• campy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sincere
• genuine
• honest
• heartfelt
• artless
• candid
• unfeigned
• direct
• forthright
• plain
• frank
• straightforward
• open
• undesigning
• heart-to-heart

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of sanctimonious

Others need police escorts off college campuses or get shouted down by sanctimonious mobs. —Mary Riley, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2024

Trolls claim to be puncturing pieties, saving the sanctimonious from themselves. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024

Fiennes is backed by a stellar supporting cast that, in addition to Tucci's firebrand Bellini, included John Lithgow as a sanctimonious curate and Carlos Diehz as Cardinal Benitez, intriguing and comforting in his calm stillness. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2024

Most of this managed to come off both lazy and sanctimonious. —David Polansky, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 July 2024

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