Adjacent Words

holier-than-thou definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: excessively or hypocritically pious; "a sickening sanctimonious smile" [syn: holier-than-thou, pietistic, pietistical, pharisaic, pharisaical, sanctimonious, self-righteous]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Date: 1859 marked by an air of superior piety or morality

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If you describe someone as holier-than-thou, you disapprove of them because they seem to believe that they are more religious or have better moral qualities than anyone else. He has always sounded holier-than-thou. = self-righteous ADJ [disapproval]

Moby Thesaurus

Pecksniffian, Tartuffian, Tartuffish, affected, canting, false, goody, goody-goody, hypocritic, hypocritical, insincere, mealymouthed, oily, pharisaic, pharisean, pietistic, pious, sanctified, sanctimonious, self-righteous, simon-pure, sniveling, unctuous