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 the moralistic sneer didn’t take long to enter the postgame analysis.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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The story is predictably moralistic and, frankly, more worried about conforming to contemporary mores than accurately representing what was going on in Cuba in the 1950s, dramatically speaking anyway.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But the second half becomes increasingly generic conspiracy stuff, leading to a two-part conclusion that’s more smug and sanctimonious than the preceding action can justify.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Nov. 2024
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The Byzantines wrote an amoral flexibility into their system, despite its putative religiosity—a realistic approach that has become more difficult to accomplish in the United States, partly owing to the power of a sanctimonious media establishment.—
Robert D. Kaplan,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Oct. 2022
Adjective
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Contemporary accounts describe Antoine as a pious person, initially committed to Catholicism, then to spiritualism.—
Emilien Hofman (Tr. Elettra Pauletto),
The Dial,
20 Mar. 2025
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As the emboldened queen is beheaded, King Henry is seen preparing to wed his third wife, the pious and soft-spoken Jane Seymour (Kate Phillips).—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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After Wednesday’s speech, some critics went online to accuse the governor of being hypocritical for making that charge against Trump in light of his pandemic actions.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2025
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Phil Lyman, a former state representative and Trump supporter who challenged Mr. Cox for governor last year, said politicians like Mr. Cox were hypocritical.—
Kellen Browning,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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They are sent off to a grandmother in Ontario who is the epitome of cold, self-righteous Protestant virtue.—
Margaret Atwood,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2025
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Today's Democratic party is dominated by self-righteous, upper-middle class, coastal elites—people wealthy enough to avoid sending their children to failing public schools and able to overlook the true costs of their green agenda.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Laurie, now adopting her own holier-than-thou perch, is just as bad.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Trump must be laughing about Newsom’s obviously insincere flattery and being able to make the governor jump through his hoops.—
Dan Walters,
The Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2025
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Even insincere inquiries are generally appreciated.—
Aditi Shrikant,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Unsalted butter: Adds a creamy, unctuous taste to the scampi sauce that olive oil alone can't bring.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
26 Mar. 2025
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Those suspects include the bartender (Gabrielle Ryan), a sad sack of a man on a blind date (Reed Diamond), an imperious hostess (Sarah McCormack), and an unctuous, boozy piano player (Ed Weeks).—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pharisaical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pharisaical. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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