Words at Play : Top 10 Sophisticated Insults
Definition:
pretending to be morally better than other people
Example:
"If you grumble about [Gwyneth] Paltrow's sanctimonious eating habits, take a closer look at your own health." Kat Ascharya, mobiledia.com, September 9, 2013
About the Word:
Sanctimonious once meant "possessing sanctity; holy, sacred." The genuinely holy aspect faded, and William Shakespeare is credited with first using sanctimonious to mean "hypocritically pious or devout."