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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SANCTIMONIOUS

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pronounce SANCTIMONIOUS:

SANK tuh MO nee yus

Hear it.
connect this word to others:

As we check out the word sanctimonious, meaning "holier than thou," see if you can recall a related word, one with Latin bits that mean "made holy by holy ceremonies:" s____sa__t. We use s____sa__t, to mean "deeply holy, very sacred, untouchable, un-joke-about-able."

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

Our words "sanctimony" and "sanctimonious" trace back to the Latin sanctus, meaning "holy."

Originally, "sanctimony" simply meant "holiness, or sacredness," and "sanctimonious" meant "holy or sacred."

But over time, they came to mean "a fake holiness, a fake sacredness" and "holy or sacred in a fake, showy way." That's how we use them today.

In other words, sanctimony is an outward show of holiness, and sanctimonious people or things are pretending to be holy or virtuous, or making a big show of being morally better than other people.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a sanctimonious tweet;" "Every episode in that season was hideously sanctimonious."

Other forms: 

Sanctimony (or, if you prefer, sanctimoniousness), sanctimoniously.

how to use it:

Pick the formal, serious, semi-common, harshly critical word "sanctimonious" when you need to slam someone's behavior as stuck-up, self-righteous, and deceptive.

It's a great formal alternative to relaxed words like "preachy" and "holier-than-thou." And it's more graceful than clunkier words like "self-serious" and "self-important."

You might talk about sanctimonious people, attitudes, comments, behaviors, facial expressions, speeches, shows, dialogue, novels, etc.

Although this word often suggests that people are showing off a religious kind of purity or holiness, it doesn't have to. Anyone who acts like they're morally superior is being sanctimonious. That might include vegetarians, vegans, folks who eat only organic, or drive only electric cars, or take only cold showers, or compost everything, or do anything else principled while implying that anyone who doesn't is ethically beneath them.

examples:

"The man is a sanctimonious prig who siphons all the fun out of life."
   — Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 1 March 2019

"There was upon his face an expression of extreme sanctimony, which was horribly repellent to the Major."
   — Fergus Hume, A Woman's Burden, 1900

has this page helped you understand "sanctimonious"?

   

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.


study it:

Explain the meaning of "sanctimonious" without saying "smugly moral" or "acting superior."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "With a sanctimonious smirk, (someone) said, 'No one should be (doing something vaguely self-indulgent or immoral).'"

Example: "With a sanctimonious smirk, Jillian Michaels said, 'No one should be eating an entire avocado.'"




before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for April: Interpret the Titles!

I'll give you the title of some book, movie, or other creation, along with a summary, and I'll challenge you to interpret the title in three different ways.

For examples, and some tips if you get stuck, head here!

Try this one today: And There Was Light (subtitled Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle) is a 2022 biography by Jon Meacham. Here's a summary from the publisher: "Meacham chronicles the life of Abraham Lincoln, charting how—and why—he confronted secession, threats to democracy, and the tragedy of slavery to expand the possibilities of America... This book tells the story of Lincoln from his birth on the Kentucky frontier in 1809 to his leadership during the Civil War to his tragic assassination in 1865: his rise, his self-education, his loves, his bouts of depression, his political failures, his deepening faith, and his persistent conviction that slavery must end. In a nation shaped by the courage of the enslaved of the era and by the brave witness of Black Americans, Lincoln’s story illustrates the ways and means of politics in a democracy, the roots and durability of racism, and the capacity of conscience to shape events."

1. It's titled And There Was Light because... ?

2. It's titled And There Was Light because... ?

3. It's titled And There Was Light because... ?

To see some possible answers, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. Near opposites of SANCTIMONIOUS include

A. WISE and SCHOLARLY.
B. HYPERACTIVE and UNCONTROLLABLE.
C. DOWN-TO-EARTH and SELF-DEPRECATING.

2. In a song, Ray Stevens jokes, "_____"

A. This is Bubba! Why wasn't you at the sanctimony?
What do you mean all you had to wear
Was a Hawaiian flowerdy shirt?

B. Well, it was a secret meeting in the dead of the night
With mysterious sanctimony,
In accordance with prescribed
Rituals of time-honored ceremony.

C. Oh, yes, they call him The Streak,
A sanctimonious physique.
If there's an audience to be found, he'll be streaking around,
Inviting public critique.




Answers to the review questions:
1. C
2. B


Possible answers to the game questions:

1. It's titled And There Was Light because it refers to the original biblical command, suggesting that the nation needed divine guidance to banish the darkness and evil of slavery.

2. It's titled And There Was Light because, although it's clear that the book will be very dark, detailing war and slavery, the title promises that there will be a kind of light, too, in the book: a kind of hope or positivity.

3. It's titled And There Was Light because the book will describe a key moment or turning point when the "lights" suddenly came on for Lincoln, or for the nation: a moment of sudden clarity or understanding.


a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
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      How to motivate our kids to write.
      How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
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A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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