Meaning & use
Sententiously
Last updated
In a manner full of pompous moralizing or trite, self-important pronouncements.
See it in a sentence
He lectured the interns sententiously, quoting proverbs as if he had invented them.
The editorial ended sententiously, urging readers toward virtue in the most predictable terms.
A note on using this word
From 'sentence' in its old sense of 'maxim' or 'aphorism'; the word carries a critical edge, implying the speaker is self-righteous rather than genuinely wise.
Words with a similar meaning
moralisticallypompously
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
plainlyhumbly
Make it your own
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