Sanctimony

//ˈsæŋk.tɪˌmoʊ.ni// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A hypocritical form of excessive piety, considered to be an affectation merely for public show. countable, uncountable

    "At its best[…] “The Newsroom” has a wit, sophistication and manic energy that recalls James L. Brooks’s classic movie “Broadcast News.” But at its worst, the show chokes on its own sanctimony."

  2. 2
    the quality of being hypocritically devout wordnet
  3. 3
    A state of holiness. countable, obsolete, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
sanctimoniousnessbibliolatrycantcensoriousnesscharismatic giftcharismatic movement

Example

More examples

"At its best[…] “The Newsroom” has a wit, sophistication and manic energy that recalls James L. Brooks’s classic movie “Broadcast News.” But at its worst, the show chokes on its own sanctimony."

Etymology

From Middle French sanctimonie, from Latin sānctimōnia (“sanctity, sacredness; purity, chastity”), from sanctus (“holy”) + -monia (“action or result of an action”).

Related phrases

holier than thouself righteousvirtue signalling

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.