How to Use self-righteous in a Sentence

self-righteous

adjective
  • John is the supremely self-righteous Veronica with Sieber as her more earthy spouse, Michael.
    David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2023
  • That rain jacket wasn’t made from unicorn ear wax, but the irony seems to have escaped the self-righteous protester.
    WSJ, 13 July 2023
  • The stories of the working class are overlooked and traded to create a self-righteous brand of goodness and populism.
    Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2024
  • Who among us hasn’t felt some version of that self-righteous purity?
    WIRED, 23 Feb. 2023
  • Their exchange is terse and extremely one-sided in favor of the self-righteous Bosch.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2023
  • Mariko is a more reserved, subtle character who lights up the screen, even without self-righteous tirades.
    Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024
  • For anyone who’s ever been wronged, loves to feel a little self-righteous, or just wants to dance it out, consider this your summer anthem.
    Vogue, 2 July 2024
  • Through that bogus bromide, not genuine black folklore, class privilege raised its self-righteous head.
    Armond White, National Review, 8 Mar. 2023
  • However, my doctors tell me to stay away from them, as being around their judgmental and self-righteous attitude could trigger a relapse.
    Amy Dickinson, Anchorage Daily News, 14 July 2023
  • Within the walls of Abbott, her piousness can come off as self-righteous, but Sheryl Lee Ralph’s performance adds a level of warmth and care similar to that of a big hug from your favorite auntie.
    Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2024
  • If Harbaugh is implicated as knowing, then the punishment will worsen dramatically and he will be sent to the social media gallows as a self-righteous fraud.
    J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2023
  • And finally, Jenny, who wasn’t even born when their father was abducted, has dedicated her life to the self-righteous rejection of her family, a preoccupation that has left her friendless and joyless.
    Ron Charles, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
  • During the controversial match, Williams exploded in self-righteous fury at officiating decisions, briefly turning the crowd against Osaka and leaving her in tears even in victory.
    Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2024
  • At a moment when so much comedy leans on self-righteous preaching or performative offensiveness, Carmichael’s candor is refreshing.
    Judy Berman, TIME, 30 May 2024
  • If figures like Bannon and Wolf are selling self-righteous individualism, the left must work on bringing people together and building solidarity.
    Laura Marsh, The New Republic, 5 Sep. 2023
  • While religious iconography abounds — and makes for some handy weapons, in a pinch — Cecilia’s crisis isn’t one of faith but of bodily autonomy, an indictment of self-righteous authority figures who use religion to gaslight and control female bodies.
    Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
  • In recent months, those online debates have grown coarse and self-righteous, thanks to an unfortunate lyrical shift towards fellating his own male id on Her Loss, his pathetically execrable collaboration from last year with 21 Savage.
    Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Recent excesses in prosecutions/persecutions and intramural power grabs that then spark self-righteous conniption fits make a spectacle of shamelessness that cries out for ridicule.
    Armond White, National Review, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Ticketmaster’s recent fumbling of ticket sales for popstar Taylor Swift’s latest stadium tour put the venture’s practices, long bemoaned by music fans (and occasionally self-righteous rock bands like Pearl Ham), under a new, hotter spotlight.
    Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 15 June 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-righteous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: