holier-than-thou

== English == === Etymology === From Isaiah 65:5 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou”; from Biblical Hebrew קְדַשְׁתִּיךָ (qəḏaštîḵā). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈhəʊ.li.ə ðən ˈðaʊ/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈhoʊ.li.ɚ ðən ˈðaʊ/ Rhymes: -aʊ Hyphenation: ho‧li‧er-than-thou === Adjective === holier-than-thou (comparative more holier-than-thou, superlative most holier-than-thou) (derogatory) Hypocritically or self-righteously pious; sanctimonious; smugly morally superior. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:arrogant ==== Usage notes ==== The term has become a snowclone, a format now used of other qualities, for example lefter-than-thou: see Appendix:Snowclones/Xer than thou. ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === holier-than-thou (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia