as in pious
disapproving
having or showing a strong belief that your own actions, opinions, etc., are right and other people's are wrong
a self-righteous tone It's OK to criticize, but don't get self-righteous about it.
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of self-righteous
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.
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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 
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-righteous
Adjective
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And yet something about her pious active listening face really gets to Urs.Caroline Framke, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024
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Paxton, pious to the end, responds by talking about the Great Prayer Experiment, a (very real) series of studies that sought to test whether prayer has any tangible healing impact — and conclusively found there to be not.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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More than family, my poor roommates at the time got the worst of my newfound sanctimonious zeal.David G. Allan, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024
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Others need police escorts off college campuses or get shouted down by sanctimonious mobs.Mary Riley, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Just as Theranos’ success was built on lies and ultimately collapsed under its own weight, companies and individuals that rise by dishonest means are playing a short-term game.Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
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Biden admin called out for longstanding lie about pardoning Hunter: 'Most dishonest admin in history'.Fox News, Fox News, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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And understanding that pleasure and pain relief are not necessarily joined at the hip might help the rest of us be less moralistic about adversity in everyday life.Richard A. Friedman, The Atlantic, 29 Nov. 2024
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As if predicting this kind of encounter, Kyunghee is moralistic about Sunja’s decision to let Mozasu work in what is seen as an ignoble business, the haunt of gangsters and ne’er-do-wellers.Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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But inflation, housing shortages and strained services have fueled frustration at migrant and refugee populations in many European countries, and the unrest has manifested itself at the ballot box in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and several others.Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024
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Eminem often highlighted his strained relationship with his mother in his music early in his career.Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 3 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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This means focusing on clear expectations, meaningful work and genuine connections rather than superficial engagement initiatives like culture surveys that don’t result in any positive change.Cynthia Pong, JD, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
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The tribute left social media users divided, with some criticizing Stamos’ gesture as superficial.Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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And to sit up there, man, and to be just blatantly hypocritical is funny and sickening at the same time.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
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If an organization’s culture is aspirational rather than lived and practiced, the result is often a hypocritical, inauthentic hiring experience.Lori Landrum, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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If not for a forced fumble by freshman linebacker Bobby Pruitt at the Miami 17 with 3:49 to play in the third quarter, the Orange would have likely scored at least a field goal on their third possession.Manny Navarro, The Athletic, 1 Dec. 2024
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The United States publicly endorsed Egypt’s opposition to any forced displacement of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula.Michael Wahid Hanna, Foreign Affairs, 26 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near self-righteous
Cite this Entry
“Self-righteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-righteous. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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