holier-than-thou

Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Related to holier-than-thou: sanctimony, shalt

ho·li·er-than-thou

(hō′lē-ər-thən-thou′)

adj.

Exhibiting an attitude of superior virtue; self-righteously pious.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ho′lier-than-thou′

adj.

obnoxiously pious; sanctimonious.

[1910–15]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Adj.

holier-than-thou - excessively or hypocritically pious; "a sickening sanctimonious smile"

pharisaic, pharisaical, sanctimonious, self-righteous, pietistic, pietistical

pious - having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity; "pious readings"

holier-than-thou

adjective self-righteous, smug, sanctimonious, self-satisfied, goody-goody (informal), squeaky-clean, priggish, pietistic, religiose, pietistical those with holier-than-thou attitudes

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

holier-than-thou

[ˈhəʊlɪəðənˈðaʊ] ADJ (pej) [attitude, tone of voice] → de superioridad moral
she's always so holier-than-thou about everything → siempre está dando lecciones de moralidad sobre todo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

holier-than-thou

adj attitude, person → selbstgerecht, selbstgefällig

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

Perhaps it's their general holier-than-thou attitude which leaps at the slightest opportunity to point fingers at others in order to make themselves feel better and more worthy or perhaps it's a throwback to their Puritan heritage.

British have quirky, prudish mores when it comes to indiscretions among their politicians

The Bible is bold against judging, reserving that right to God, yet the holier-than-thou Kenyans have declared Binya sinful and themselves righteous.

Binyavanga's death brings out the open hypocrisy in society

There's a bumper sticker: "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." My Dad, when discussing "holier-than-thou" types, would muse over people with their my-way-or-the-highway Bible interpretations.

Harvest Chapel and 'holier than thou' judges

Beltway insiders know that there is no such place as "Khashoggi Way." The signs are phony, remnants of an information operation targeting the White Housein this case, Donald Trump's Middle East policies, which, at least, seek to point out the phoniness and ineptitude of his predecessor, who set the region on fire while claiming, in a holier-than-thou voice, to bring peace.

News of the News: How Khashoggi Was Used by the Media

'His clarification will serve to sow distrust, superiority and a holier-than-thou attitude by one community against others,' she said in response.

Sabah MCA wing: Maszlee can 'dakwah' all he wants as Tabung Haji chair instead

The gloomy costumes, the barbaric laws, the morality being twisted to serve some higher purpose (not that of God but of powerful men), the women being reduced to childbearing machines and completely excluded from the public sphere - this is the case, both on the show and in Zia's vision a of holier-than-thou state.

Watching The Handmaid's Tale in post-Zia Pakistan

Wasn't Australia one of those countries where a holier-than-thou spirit prevailed as far as their cricket was concerned?

Australian Tailspin

'Holier-than-thou attitudes have also contributed to the factors aiding insurgency, especially when certain religious affiliations claim superiority to others,' he stated.

Disobedience to God, cause of nation's challenges -Pastor Akande

The PTI too would do well not to pretend to be holier-than-thou on the issue of horse trading.

emoving flaws in electoral system

He is shell shocked when he learns about holier-than-thou Billy's involvement in his mother's death and decides to exact his own grisly revenge.

Peter gives Billy the boot

What one can easily deduce from the US over-reliance on military power and from its desire to have a decisive victory in its self-imposed war on terror is the fact that American policymakers and political strategists are too arrogant, conceited and quite holier-than-thou. They seem to follow a different definition of human goodness and have some other ideals of humanity that place Americans higher than the rest of the human beings.

American Pipedream

Brown gives the reader a slice of life in this little town where there are open-minded and close-minded people; accepting and not accepting people; straight, gay, and lesbian people; holier-than-thou people and kind, wonderful people, including Jo's new stepmom, who is one of the best and the wisest.--cj Bott.