holier-than-thou

Related to holier-than-thou: sanctimony, shalt

holier-than-thou

Sanctimonious; maintaining an obnoxious air of moral superiority or condescension. (Usually used before a noun, especially "attitude.") While he makes good points, his holier-than-thou attitude is not likely to win him many allies.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

holier-than-thou

If you describe someone as holier-than-thou, you mean that they seem to believe that they have better moral qualities than anyone else. He has always sounded holier-than-thou. I'm not going to be all holier-than-thou about this.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

holier than thou

characterized by an attitude of self-conscious virtue and piety.
This phrase comes from Isaiah 65:5: ‘Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou’.
See also: holy, thou
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

holier-than-thou

mod. superior in piety; condescending. She has such a holier-than-thou attitude.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

holier than thou

Sanctimonious, pretending moral superiority. This term comes from the Bible (Isaiah 65:5), where the prophet, speaking of sinners, holds that they say “Come not near me, for I am holier than thou.” The term is often used as an adjective (and hyphenated: holier-than-thou) as in Sinclair Lewis’s novel Babbitt (1922), “But I don’t want you to think you can get away with any of that holier-than-thou stuff.”
See also: holy, thou
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • holier than thou
  • thou
  • a thou
  • obno
  • obnoc
  • jabroni
  • be too much
  • be too much (for one)
References in periodicals archive
Hence, it's difficult to have empathy with holier-than-thou money managers crying into their decaffeinated double lattes, and easy to have sympathy for Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed's reply to his accusors: Crony capitalism was never an impediment to investment in the past.
Malaysian Twilight Zone
For the unitiated, the main focus of Henry's ever-more imaginative scheming and gruesome pranks is his holier-than-thou brother, Perfect Peter, closely followed by next-door neighbour Moody Margaret.
Mischief is marvellous
This city and country needs to get its priorities in order, and the holier-than-thou mob should think long and hard before helping to destroy the common rights of the British people.
Letter: Freedom of choice
" The fine art world has got this holier-than-thou reputation which isn't necessarily true.
The art auctioneer
The holier-than-thou attitude of the majority of those questioned in Mr Amodeo's article seems to smack of a politically correct orthodoxy based on lazy thinking and inverted vanity, and the sooner they learn to call a spade a spade the better.
Explorer poll a load of hot air
Perhaps he, like a lot of other holier-than-thou folks, need to get their feet--and the rest of their selves--good and soaking wet in the real world, where it rains like hell sometimes, despite what "our mothers told us"?
Real-world rain
I ask him where was his holier-than-thou liberal lip service letter to the Echo when Tali Hatuel, the 34-year-old Israeli woman, who was eight months pregnant, and her daughters, Hila, 11, Hadar, nine, Roni, seven and Merav, two, were shot at point blank range in a sickening execution last May?
Criticism should not be selective
Yet oddly this grinning nitwit was far more likeable than the holier-than-thou hypocrites from Millionaire-makers Celador.
BUSHELL ON THE BOX: COUGH CHEAT'S NOT SO BAD
1973's Living in' the Material World managed to top the charts even as it garnered mixed reviews for bland songs about the Beatles' breakup and holier-than-thou sermonettes about the fallen state of the world,
My sweet bore: explaining a former beatle's artistic slide
Vincent's holier-than-thou pontification about God's will in my life's journey smacks dangerously of Dr.
reader forum
Its holier-than-thou authors asserted that the report was really about alleged perjury, obstruction of justice, and abuse of power, but they knew damn well that few, if any, readers would plow through its dry-as-dust legalisms.
Enough of this Peeping Tomfoolery
First, they hold their annual convention in Salt Lake City in a snotty attempt to kick holier-than-thou sand in the Mormons' faces.
Moses supposes
All three have written books urging the Democrats to be centrists, and all three have a holier-than-thou tenor in their words and demeanor.
Time Present, Time Past: A Memoir
Yet Kasher's moralizing exposes of Ludwig, Mies, and others, are tinged by just that sort of holier-than-thou attitude.
"The Art of Hitler." (The Contemporary; New York, New York)
'Holier-than-thou' critics of controversial blogger-turned-government official Margaux 'Mocha' Uson will be proven wrong, according to the head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
MMDA chief joins chorus defending Mocha