plaster saint
Fake virtuous person
A plaster saint is someone who makes a show of being morally perfect or exceptionally virtuous—often with the implication that the piety is superficial or hypocritical.
The image evokes cheap religious statuary: smooth, idealized, hollow.
She's no plaster saint, but she tries to do right by people.
The term usually appears in denials: someone admits they're not a plaster saint before confessing a flaw.
Feigns virtue falsely
- phonyFraudulent person or thing
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- pretenderIllegitimate claimant to power
- fakerOne who pretends
impostor · two-faced · insincere · charlatan · deceiver · sham · masquerader · disingenuous
Impossible to acquire
- unreachableCannot be accessed
- unrealNot actual, or astonishing
- illusoryFalsely appearing to exist
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
mythical · utopian · quixotic · too good to be true · chimerical · dreamlike · otherworldly · ethereal
Entirely without fault
- immaculateCompletely without blemish
- unblemishedFree from any defect
- spotlessCompletely free of marks
- pristinePure and untouched
impeccable · pure · perfect · untarnished · unsullied · unsoiled · unmarred · stainless
Object of worship
- iconPictorial screen symbol
- paragonFlawless model to emulate
- exemplarTypical perfect instance
- role modelPerson others emulate
pedestal · revered · worshiped · glorified · venerated · elevated · celebrated · canonized
Unable to bend
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
- unbendingRefusing to change position
- rigidUnable to bend
- strictRigorous, without flexibility
uncompromising · puritanical · dogmatic · intransigent · hardline · austere · stern · prim
hypocrite
Feigns virtue falsely
- phonyFraudulent person or thing
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- pretenderIllegitimate claimant to power
faker · impostor · two-faced · insincere · charlatan · deceiver · sham · masquerader · disingenuous · false-hearted
unattainable
Impossible to acquire
- unreachableCannot be accessed
- unrealNot actual, or astonishing
- illusoryFalsely appearing to exist
fantasy · mythical · utopian · quixotic · too good to be true · chimerical · dreamlike · otherworldly · ethereal · inhuman
flawless
Entirely without fault
- immaculateCompletely without blemish
- unblemishedFree from any defect
- spotlessCompletely free of marks
pristine · impeccable · pure · perfect · untarnished · unsullied · unsoiled · unmarred · stainless · faultless
idol
Object of worship
role model · pedestal · revered · worshiped · glorified · venerated · elevated · celebrated · canonized · enshrined
inflexible
Unable to bend
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
- unbendingRefusing to change position
- rigidUnable to bend
strict · uncompromising · puritanical · dogmatic · intransigent · hardline · austere · stern · prim · proper
plaster saintreal deal
Truly authentic person/thing
true believer · salt of the earth · mensch · genuine article · saint
plaster, saint, plasters, plastered, plastering, plasterer, saints, saintly, sainthood