as in smug
disapproving
having or showing the annoying attitude of people who believe that they are morally better than other people
a holier-than-thou attitude
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of holier-than-thou
Unlike baseball, with some of its holier-than-thou decisions with its Hall of Fame, the Basketball Hall of Fame largely looks at career on-court achievements.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2025
Laurie, now adopting her own holier-than-thou perch, is just as bad.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Phillip, Portland, Ore. A: Unlike baseball, with some of its holier-than-thou decisions with its Hall of Fame, the Basketball Hall of Fame largely looks at career on-court achievements.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2025
The story prompted an uproar from fans of Michigan’s Big Ten opponents, who saw Harbaugh as a cheater and Michigan’s holier-than-thou image as a fraud, and urged commissioner Tony Petitti to take action.
—Austin Meek, The Athletic, 8 Aug. 2024
In scenes together, Cooke’s arch line deliveries and holier-than-thou smirks spark against D’Arcy’s regal defensiveness and cool anger.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 June 2024
Annelle-Inspired Picks The spiritual turnaround of the beauty shop’s new recruit guided our picks for her holier-than-thou shelves.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 30 Sep. 2024
Aidan is written as a sympathetic character — unlike Big, who comes off much more pompous — but still manipulates Carrie from his holier-than-thou perch.
—Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023
But whether Ben is talking to people he’s known for ages or whom he’s just met, the guy has a knack for being aggressive, holier-than-thou, and sarcastic to a fault.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holier-than-thou
Adjective
-
Twenty-three years of a smug, smarmy host, and a bunch of sportswriters desperate for sound bites and attention.—
-
There’s the divorced couple maintaining their relationship for their children; the happy and occasionally smug monogamist; the man who prefers not to commit; the woman who can’t decide.—
Adjective
-
Meet my very good boys (pictured): Scooter is a nine-year-old cavapoo (cavalier King Charles spaniel and poodle mix).—
-
But economists warn that Americans would be losing clear benefits if the government was too cavalier about the dollar’s shedding its special status.—
Adjective
-
The result is a country that comes across to others as at once boastful about its growing power and prickly about criticism of its human-rights record.—
-
Then create templates for sharing these results across different platforms (social posts, case study formats, website sections) that highlight the concrete proof of my expertise without sounding boastful.—
Adjective
-
Socially engaged cinema of this kind gets a bad rap these days; it is seen as old and tired or, worse still, superior and self-righteous.—
-
There’s nothing preachy or self-righteous about Frank’s writing.—
Adjective
-
Richard was known for being outspoken, if not arrogant, consistently rubbing his Tagi tribe the wrong way and offending some of them with his blatant display of nudity on the island.—
-
Multiple people described him to me as unpopular and arrogant.—
Adjective
-
Sid Justice, though competent in other matches, is given few opportunities to prove himself as a rising star against the notoriously egotistical Hogan.—
-
And for any fan of the show — and Wilson’s over-the-top, egotistical Dwight — the lyrics might not be a total surprise.—
Adjective
-
Those on the left must recognize that their moralistic zeal and narrowing of intellectual discourse have turned educational and cultural institutions into engines of alienation, not trust.—
-
Aster isn’t merely mocking them; his real point is that moralistic self-righteousness has become a kind of addiction in America.—
Cite this Entry
“Holier-than-thou.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holier-than-thou. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share