Associations to the word «Pharisee»

Wiktionary

PHARISEE, noun. A member of a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews that flourished during the Second Temple Era (536 BCE–70 CE). The movement was ultimately the basis for most contemporary forms of Judaism.
PHARISEE, noun. (figruatively) (by extension) A person who values the letter of the law over the spirit or intention of the law.

Dictionary definition

PHARISEE, noun. A self-righteous or sanctimonious person.
PHARISEE, noun. A member of an ancient Jewish sect noted for strict obedience to Jewish traditions.

Wise words

Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.
Nathaniel Hawthorne