sanctimony

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈsæŋk.tɪ.moʊ.ni/ UK /ˈsæŋk.tɪ.mə.ni/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the act of pretending to be morally superior to others; affected or hypocritical holiness

His speech was full of sanctimony, as he criticized others for their faults.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the act of pretending to be... self-righteousnesspiousnessholier-than-thousmugnessmoralism

Opposites

humility sincerity modesty

Etymology

sanctimony (Modern English, 'affected or hypocritical holiness'); from Latin _sanctus_ ('holy') plus _-monia_ (noun-forming suffix), giving _sanctimonia_ ('holiness; sacredness'), via Old French and Middle English _sanctimonie_ ('holiness; piety').

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Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

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# sanctimony

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈsæŋk.tɪ.moʊ.ni/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsæŋk.tɪ.mə.ni/

## Meanings
1. the act of pretending to be morally superior to others; affected or hypocritical holiness

## Examples
- His speech was full of sanctimony, as he criticized others for their faults.

## Synonyms
- self-righteousness
- piousness
- holier-than-thou
- smugness
- moralism

## Antonyms
- humility
- sincerity
- modesty

## Etymology
sanctimony (Modern English, 'affected or hypocritical holiness'); from Latin _sanctus_ ('holy') plus _-monia_ (noun-forming suffix), giving _sanctimonia_ ('holiness; sacredness'), via Old French and Middle English _sanctimonie_ ('holiness; piety').

## AI Etymology
Sanctimony is a Modern English word meaning 'affected or hypocritical holiness', from Latin sanctus ('holy') plus -monia (noun-forming suffix), giving sanctimonia ('holiness; sacredness'), via Old French and Middle English sanctimonie ('holiness; piety'). In current use it is a noun meaning "the act of pretending to be morally superior to others; affected or hypocritical holiness". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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sanctimony

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