Phrase guide

whited sepulchre

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

One who is outwardly attractive, but unclean or vile on the inside; a hypocrite.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a person who is inwardly evil but outwardly professes to be virtuous

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: whited sepulcher

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hypocrite, dissembler, dissimulator, phony, phoney, pretender

History

Etymology

An allusion to Matthew 23:27 in the Bible. From Ancient Greek τάφος κεκονιαμένος (táphos kekoniaménos, “plastered tomb, hypocrite”).