sanctimony
noun
Examples of sanctimony in a Sentence
Armond White, National Review, 20 Mar. 2024
This breeds a funny mix of pugilism and sanctimony that can be, frankly, a little unlikable.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2024
The theory is that awards show viewers are there for the frocks and starry frivolity, not sanctimony and hectoring.
—Steven Gaydos, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024
The sanctimony that Brown sniffs at certainly exists, but a little bit of the holy spirit is probably necessary to report on contemporary America.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2024
The humility inherent in this approach, which echoes David’s own self-deprecating performance, is hard to come by these days, when popular stand-ups from Chappelle to Amy Schumer traffic in sociopolitical sanctimony and position themselves as experts on experiences not their own.
—TIME, 2 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, both settlements and legal anachronisms seemed to have been made permanent by the prime minister Golda Meir’s reliable sanctimony.
—Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
With her chin tucked and her lips pursed in practiced sanctimony, Chavez-Richmond nails both Ephraim’s absurdity and his sad, competitive loneliness.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2023
In response, the boy’s mother smacks the white woman, whose sanctimony quickly turns to shock.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sanctimony.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle French sanctimonie, from Latin sanctimonia, from sanctus
1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near sanctimony
Cite this Entry
“Sanctimony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanctimony. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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