Word a Day
sanctimonious
What does sanctimonious mean?
sanctimonious (adjective): making a show of being morally better than others, especially hypocritically pious.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you use sanctimonious in a sentence?
- A sickening sanctimonious smile. (Princeton WordNet 3.1)
How do you pronounce sanctimonious?
/ˌsæŋktəˈmoʊniəs/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does sanctimonious come from?
From sanctimony + -ous.
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “sanctimonious”?
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What does “sanctimonious” mean?
making a show of being morally better than others, especially hypocritically pious
Right! That's what “sanctimonious” means.
present at birth but not necessarily hereditary; acquired during fetal development
Not quite: that's what congenital means.
of property: in a poor state due to abandonment or neglect; dilapidated, neglected
Not quite: that's what derelict means.
experiencing a sensation of whirling and of being giddy, unbalanced, or lightheaded
Not quite: that's what dizzy means.
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