as in moralistic
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Recent Examples of pharisaical
Lists are no substitute for criticism, but those who take them as inimical to criticism are pharisaical.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2022
David and Samuel explore the U.S. energy sector and evaluate what the future holds in an ESG landscape that has done its very best to bring economic incoherence to its pharisaical agenda.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 16 Jan. 2022
Yet Marlin makes clear that excommunication was never a real threat but rather one that Cuomo shrewdly used to turn himself into a victim of pharisaical bishops.
—Vincent J. Cannato, National Review, 7 Nov. 2020
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2022
David and Samuel explore the U.S. energy sector and evaluate what the future holds in an ESG landscape that has done its very best to bring economic incoherence to its pharisaical agenda.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 16 Jan. 2022
Yet Marlin makes clear that excommunication was never a real threat but rather one that Cuomo shrewdly used to turn himself into a victim of pharisaical bishops.
—Vincent J. Cannato, National Review, 7 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pharisaical
Adjective
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But Europeans cannot simply revert to a moralistic tendency to tell others what to do.—
Josep Borrell Fontelles,
Foreign Affairs,
27 June 2025
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The same moralistic spirit that once defined Minnesota’s politics now fuels passionate polarization.—
David Schultz,
New York Daily News,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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Of course, most of these sanctimonious snore-mongers linger on in one shrunken form or another, still screaming obscenities and shaking their fists at the moon.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
28 June 2025
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The smug and sanctimonious tenor of their briefing makes that plain.—
Christie D’Zurilla,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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Jill’s teenage son Brad (George Ferrier) is just as calculating, if not nearly as savvy, pressuring his pious girlfriend Abby (Madison Wolfe) for a repeat of their prom-night hookup while pursuing other partners.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
21 July 2025
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Those healthy enough were put through a daily regimen of religious education and physical schooling intended to train them to be pious and obedient.—
Ann Foster,
JSTOR Daily,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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There’s no question which member of Congress put on the year’s most hypocritical legislative performance.—
Carl P. Leubsdorf,
Twin Cities,
23 July 2025
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There’s just this hypocritical system in which there is demand for immigrant labor in many industries, along with demonization of these very contributors.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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How The Dividing Sky is different: The self-righteous rookie sent to arrest the main character falls in love with her in this thrilling enemies-to-lovers romance.—
Rebecca Dazenbaker,
People.com,
15 July 2025
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There have been woke activists with a very narrow, self-righteous point of view.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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And Velia Martínez, who played the Spanish-speaking, holier-than-thou grandmother set in her ways, was born in Tampa, fluent in English and a longtime actress in Mexico and Cuba.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
8 July 2025
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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
Adjective
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The movie does not earn the right for such an insincere have-your-I-Heart-the-’90s-cake-and-eat-it-too gesture.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
16 July 2025
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King’s typical approach to the genre — gifted protagonists facing off against chilly government entities or insincere spiritual forces within a horror context — has fallen out of vogue in favor of comparable superhero origin stories with elevated skills and stakes.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Martin studied under and is basically a Temu Alan Grant, while the unctuous Friend oozes with corporate evil.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
30 June 2025
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At times, the display of closeness felt a bit unctuous, as when Musk praised Trump for his gold-heavy interior design makeover of the Oval Office.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pharisaical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharisaical. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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