sanctimonious
pronunciation
How to pronounce sanctimonious in British English:
UK [ˌsæŋktɪˈməʊniəs]
How to pronounce sanctimonious in American English:
US [ˌsæŋktɪˈmoʊniəs]
-
- Adjective:
- excessively or hypocritically pious
Word Origin
- sanctimonious (adj.)
- c. 1600 (in "Measure for Measure," with the disparaging sense "making a show of sanctity, affecting an appearance of holiness"), from sanctimony + -ous. The un-ironic, literal sense was used occasionally in English from c. 1600 to c. 1800. Related: Sanctimoniously; sanctimoniousness.
Example
- 1. The rescuers need not be quite so sanctimonious .
- 2. I was aware even as I spoke how sanctimonious I sounded .
- 3. It should be less sanctimonious in preaching human rights to others .
- 4. It might get some satisfaction from seeing sanctimonious europeans being hit by the kind of problems they once predicted for asia .
- 5. One of the loudest and most sanctimonious of the foster was murdered crowd was republican congressman dan burton of indiana .