holier-than-thou
Obnoxiously self-righteous
Holier-than-thou describes someone who acts morally superior to others, often with an air of self-righteousness: I can't stand her holier-than-thou attitude about organic food.
The phrase mocks piety that seems performed rather than genuine.
As a noun, a holier-than-thou is such a person: Don't be such a holier-than-thou.
Excessively self-satisfied
- preachyExcessively moralizing in tone
- pharisaicalHypocritically self-righteous
- priggishSmugly self-righteous
- self-satisfiedSmugly pleased with oneself
moralistic · pious · superior · complacent · puritanical · goody-goody · self-important · pietistic
Treating someone as inferior
- superciliousArrogantly contemptuous of others
- haughtyDisdainfully proud
- snobbishCondescending toward perceived inferiors
- disdainfulShowing open contempt
arrogant · contemptuous · imperious · high-handed · overbearing · sneering · scornful · dismissive
Feigning belief or feeling
- phonyFraudulent person or thing
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
- falseNot matching reality
duplicitous · pretentious · affected · fraudulent · posturing · pious · hypocrite · preaching
smug
Excessively self-satisfied
- preachyExcessively moralizing in tone
- pharisaicalHypocritically self-righteous
- priggishSmugly self-righteous
self-satisfied · moralistic · pious · superior · complacent · puritanical · goody-goody · self-important · pietistic · virtuous
patronizing
Treating someone as inferior
- superciliousArrogantly contemptuous of others
- haughtyDisdainfully proud
- snobbishCondescending toward perceived inferiors
disdainful · arrogant · contemptuous · imperious · high-handed · overbearing · sneering · scornful · dismissive · aloof
insincere
Feigning belief or feeling
- phonyFraudulent person or thing
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
false · duplicitous · pretentious · affected · fraudulent · posturing · pious · hypocrite · preaching · facade
- snobssnob, elitist, snoot, prig, highbrow
- hypocrisyhypocrisy, hypocrite, sanctimony, two-faced, self-righteousness
- pretentiousnesspretentious, pretentiousness, pretension, pompous, pomposity
- self-righteousnesssanctimony, self-righteousness, moralism, judgmentalism, censoriousness
- judgmental typesmoralist, moralizer, prig, prude, puritan
- condescendingpatronizing, disdainful, scornful, dismissive, belittling
holier-than-thouhumble
Unassuming about oneself
modest · meek · self-effacing · unassuming · unpretentious
holier-than-thoutolerant
Accepting of differences
forgiving · nonjudgmental · accepting · live-and-let-live · open-minded
holier-than-thouunpretentious
Lacking false superiority
genuine · sincere · authentic · honest · self-aware