“Sanctimonious” describes someone who acts morally superior in a fake or hypocritical way, as if they are better or more virtuous than everyone else.

Core meaning

  • Sanctimonious is an adjective for a person who makes a show of being very moral, religious, or ethical, while their attitude comes off as “holier-than-thou.”
  • It usually implies hypocrisy: they pretend to be very good or pure, but they are not actually better than others.

In everyday language

  • A sanctimonious person often lectures others about right and wrong, in a smug or self-righteous way.
  • The word is disapproving; calling someone “sanctimonious” is a criticism of their fake or annoying moral posture.

Simple example

  • “He gave a sanctimonious speech about honesty, even though he’s lied in the past.”

In short, sanctimonious means “self-righteous and hypocritically moral,” especially when someone is acting superior to others.