as in affectation
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctimoniousness
Noun
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Slumming with her sister in San Francisco after her life with her Madoff-like ex in New York implodes, Jasmine Francis isn't quite willing to let go of the affectations that come with living in high society.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026 -
For the most part though, For the First Time, Again is weighed down by oversinging and emotional affectation.—
Millan Verma,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There should be no smug self-satisfaction in the destructive power of bombs and deafening explosions.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
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My disappointment in Vigil came down to the waste of a perfect setup for exhibiting the worldly redemption of art—that is, its power to redeem us from insensitivity and self-satisfaction.—
Julius Taranto,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But Flynn also oozes sniveling self-righteousness while hotly defending and petitioning for childhood innocence (amusing hints emerge that the daughter is a somewhat lazy and dim underachiever).—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
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But where the stalker remains self-deluded to the end, Jack’s self-righteousness is tinged with self-awareness.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The lack of pretentiousness signals something about who’s welcome there.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
29 Nov. 2025
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There’s a pretentiousness that begins to show itself as folks get more comfortable.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But a glimpse at an earlier journalistic universe—newspapers in the era before social media—shows the dishonesty at the center of the project to treat the plain meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment as up for grabs.—
Lawrence Glickman,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
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Thankfully, there have finally been some consequences for treating their employers with disdain, dishonesty and contempt.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Fascist propaganda works by distraction and deception.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, Flores must continue to utilize deception to apply pressure on the opposing quarterback.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Years ago, during his first term, Trump was lamenting the perfidy of his first Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, the former Alabama senator.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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Any time there is a crisis in Iran, the 1953 British-American coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh is dusted off as Exhibit A in the case against Western perfidy.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Spiegelman uses the term micro-looting, dressing up petty theft in political pretensions.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
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Service feels attentive without formality or pretension.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Sanctimoniousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctimoniousness. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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