4 uses
(click/touch triangles for details)
Definition
believing oneself morally superior to others — especially in an annoying manner
- She thought suddenly of those modern college-infected parasites who assumed a sickening air of moral self-righteousness whenever they uttered the standard bromides about their concern for the welfare of others.2.10 Part 2 Chapter 10 — The Sign of the Dollar (11% in)
- He addressed Francisco once, without provocation, stopping him in the middle of the lawn to say in a tone of aggressive self-righteousness: "I think that now that you've reached college age, you ought to learn something about ideals.1.5 Part 1 Chapter 5 — The Climax of the D'Anconias (28% in)
- You've never suffered, the eyes were saying with self-righteous scorn-while he remembered the sensation of proud chastity with which he had fought through those moments, refusing to surrender to pain, a sensation made of his love, of his loyalty, of his knowledge that joy is the goal of existence, and joy is not to be stumbled upon, but to be achieved, and the act of treason is to let its vision drown in the swamp of the moment's torture.3.5 Part 3 Chapter 5 — Their Brothers' Keepers (41% in)
- When men reduce their virtues to the approximate, then evil acquires the force of an absolute, when loyalty to an unyielding purpose is dropped by the virtuous, it's picked up by scoundrels-and you get the indecent spectacle of a cringing, bargaining, traitorous good and a self-righteously uncompromising evil.3.7 Part 3 Chapter 7 — "This is John Galt Speaking" (78% in)
There are no more uses of "self-righteous" in Atlas Shrugged.
Typical Usage
(best examples)