sanctimoniousness
Holier-than-thou attitude
Sanctimoniousness is the quality of making a show of moral superiority while lacking genuine virtue.
The sanctimonious person broadcasts righteousness, lectures others, and positions themselves as ethically above reproach—often hypocritically.
His sanctimoniousness about diet vanished when no one was watching.
The word implies that the piety is performed rather than sincere.
Smugly moralistic toward others
- self-righteousSmugly certain of correctness
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
- cantSanctimonious insincerity
pretense · dissembling · falseness · insincerity · disingenuousness · posturing · feigned · affected
Excessive moral instruction
- sermonizingLecturing on morals
- pontificatingSpeaking pompously at length
- lecturingGiving an instructive talk
- didacticismArt prioritizing instruction
finger-wagging · judgmental · censorious · scolding · admonishing · reproachful · preachy · hectoring
Pleasure from one's achievements
- superiorityHigher rank or quality
- condescensionDemeaning air of superiority
- haughtinessDisdainful sense of superiority
- superciliousnessScornful sense of superiority
snobbishness · complacency · arrogance · disdain · contempt · scorn · patronizing · priggishness
Religious reverence and devotion
- pietismAffected religious devotion
- devoutnessEarnest religious commitment
- pharisaicalHypocritically self-righteous
- unctuousnessExcessive, insincere earnestness
public prayer · scriptural · zealotry · puritanism · godliness · religiousness · prayerfulness
holier-than-thou
Smugly moralistic toward others
- self-righteousSmugly certain of correctness
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
cant · pretense · dissembling · falseness · insincerity · disingenuousness · posturing · feigned · affected · sham
preachiness
Excessive moral instruction
- sermonizingLecturing on morals
- pontificatingSpeaking pompously at length
- lecturingGiving an instructive talk
didacticism · finger-wagging · judgmental · censorious · scolding · admonishing · reproachful · preachy · hectoring · exhortation
self-satisfaction
Pleasure from one's achievements
- superiorityHigher rank or quality
- condescensionDemeaning air of superiority
- haughtinessDisdainful sense of superiority
superciliousness · snobbishness · complacency · arrogance · disdain · contempt · scorn · patronizing · priggishness · stuffiness
piousness
Religious reverence and devotion
- pietismAffected religious devotion
- devoutnessEarnest religious commitment
- pharisaicalHypocritically self-righteous
unctuousness · public prayer · scriptural · zealotry · puritanism · godliness · religiousness · prayerfulness
sanctimoniousnesssincerity
Honest, unfeigned genuineness
genuineness · authenticity · integrity · truthfulness · unpretentiousness
sanctimoniousnesshumility
Freedom from arrogance
modesty · self-effacement · meekness · unpretentiousness · self-awareness
sanctimoniousnesshonesty
Truthfulness, sincerity
openness · candor · forthrightness · self-awareness · transparency
sanctuary, sanction, saintly, sanctity, sanctify, sanctions, sanctimonious, sainted, sainthood