Find Antonyms
sanctimonious Antonyms
Opposite of sanctimonious
Pinning down the opposite of sanctimonious requires matching its exact sense, so the antonyms and opposite words below are paired with a clear adjective definition and ranked by contrast strength.
• adjective (Context 1)
Making a show of being morally or religiously superior to other people; hypocritically devout or pious.
Usage Example
"The committee members grew tired of his humble lectures about workplace ethics when his own department failed the audit."
Strongest
humble
sincere
Strong
genuine
modest
unassuming
unpretentious
forthright
Similar words to sanctimonious
Words similar to sanctimonious shift depending on context. Common synonyms include:
self-righteous
holier-than-thou
pietistic
moralizing
preachy
hypocritical
pharisaical
smug
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Antonyms for Sanctimonious. In Wordmom Thesaurus. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/antonyms/sanctimonious