sanctimoniousness

noun

Definition of sanctimoniousnessnext
as in affectation

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctimoniousness
  1. affectation
  2. self-satisfaction
  3. self-righteousness
  4. pretentiousness
  5. dishonesty
  6. deception
  7. perfidy
  8. pretension
Noun
  • In the wrong hands, those points of reference could land like an affectation, but instead, the band’s embrace of them feels genuine.
    — Nick Laskin, Pitchfork, 20 May 2026
  • The 33-year-old Indianapolis native can trace its origins to a natural inclination toward performing and a lifelong admiration of Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric, but there's no step-by-step guide on how Sullivan mastered the affectation.
    — Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 4 May 2026
Definition of affectation
Noun
  • The situation gets even worse once Bonnie’s concerned parents try to connect their daughter with friends by buying her a Lilypad, a child-appropriate smart tablet in frog-like casing, voiced with slappably perky self-satisfaction by Greta Lee.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026
  • After 50 minutes of self-satisfaction, the hero fades serenely into a sunset that Dudamel made miraculously mystical.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
Definition of self-satisfaction
Noun
  • But Flynn also oozes sniveling self-righteousness while hotly defending and petitioning for childhood innocence (amusing hints emerge that the daughter is a somewhat lazy and dim underachiever).
    — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
  • But where the stalker remains self-deluded to the end, Jack’s self-righteousness is tinged with self-awareness.
    — Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025
Definition of self-righteousness
Noun
  • Advertisement Jones uses his antihero’s blunt self-appraisals to avoid the pretentiousness endemic to stories about artists.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 2 June 2026
  • There's no pretentiousness or rigid formality, but the service, food, and wine are top-notch.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 May 2026
Definition of pretentiousness
Noun
  • Every college and university has rules against plagiarism and other forms of intellectual dishonesty.
    — Austin Sarat, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • Among the grounds listed are fraud, embezzlement, theft, misappropriation of district resources, breach of fiduciary duty, neglect of duties, criminal convictions, violations of law, policy violations, dishonesty, insubordination and failure to perform contractual obligations.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 June 2026
Definition of dishonesty
Noun
  • Harry and the six other high-profile claimants failed to prove their allegations that the publisher unlawfully obtained private information through methods including private investigators, deception, phone hacking and corrupt payments.
    — Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
  • Alleged privacy breaches include voicemail interception, phone hacking and obtaining personal information through deception.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of deception
Noun
  • If the landing had been faked, the Soviets would have figured it out and would have loved to reveal to the world America’s perfidy.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 May 2026
  • Any time there is a crisis in Iran, the 1953 British-American coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh is dusted off as Exhibit A in the case against Western perfidy.
    — Bobby Ghosh, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
Definition of perfidy
Noun
  • Impartial, fact-finding and without pretension, Burns turns his camera to our history in a sober-but-not-boring manner.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 June 2026
  • To adore the literary greats but reject any modicum of pretension?
    — Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Definition of pretension
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.

Browse Nearby Words

sanctimonious
sanctimoniousness
sanctimony
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Cite this Entry

“Sanctimoniousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctimoniousness. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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