Meanings
pharisaic1
comparative more pharisaic · superlative most pharisaic · alternative Pharisaic
- Of or pertaining to the Pharisees.
- ChristianityEmphasizing the observance of ritual or practice over the meaning.
The church clock strikes the second quarter. / higgins [hearing in it the voice of God, rebuking him for his Pharisaic want of charity for the poor girl] A reminder.
1912 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Pygmalion”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, Act I, page 115 - Involving the total excision of the foreskin (posthetomy), including all or most of the penile frenulum, in addition to milah, periah, and occasionally metzitza.
Pharisaic2
comparative more Pharisaic · superlative most Pharisaic
- alternativeAlternative form of pharisaic.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveexcessively or hypocritically pious
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
pharisaic · adjective
- Ancient GreekΦαρισαϊκός
- LatinPharisaicus
- Englishpharisaic
From Latin Pharisaicus, from Ancient Greek Φαρισαϊκός (Pharisaïkós). By surface analysis, Pharisee + -ic.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan farisaic
- farisaicof or pertaining to Pharisees
Danish farisæisk, farisæisk
- farisæiskof or pertaining to Pharisees
- farisæiskof or pertaining to observance of ritual over meaning
- skinhelligself-righteous
- farisæiskself-righteous
Finnish farisealainen, farisealainen
- farisealainenof or pertaining to Pharisees
- farisealainenof or pertaining to observance of ritual over meaning
- tekopyhäof or pertaining to observance of ritual over meaning
- ulkokultainenof or pertaining to observance of ritual over meaning
- farisealainenself-righteous
- teeskenteleväself-righteous
- tekopyhäself-righteous
- ulkokultainenself-righteous
French pharisaïque
- pharisaïqueof or pertaining to Pharisees
Swedish fariseisk
- fariseiskof or pertaining to Pharisees
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
pharisaic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pharisaic
“pharisaic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pharisaic. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pharisaic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pharisaic.
Source: pharisaic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.