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Hence: Addicted to external forms and ceremonies; making a show of religion without the spirit of it; ceremonial; formal; hypocritical; self-righteous. "Excess of outward and pharisaical holiness. " Bacon. "Pharisaical ostentation." Macaulay. -- Phar`i*sa"ic*al*ly, adv. -- Phar`i*sa"ic*al*ness, n.

One addicted to uttering platitudes, or stale and insipid truisms. "A political platitudinarian." G. Eliot.

One who is addicted to pleonasm. [R.] C. Reade.

Engaged in, or addicted to, polemics, or to controversy; disputations; as, a polemic writer. South.

blic office, or to the success of a political party; -- used in a depreciatory sense; one addicted or attached to politics as managed by parties (see Politics, 2); a schemer; an intriguer; as, a mere politician. Like a scurvy politician, seem To see the things thou dost not. Shak. The politician . . . ready to do anyth…

A loose, disorderly, vicious man; a person addicted to lewdness and other scandalous vices; a debauchee; a roué. Am illiterate and frivolous old rake. Macaulay.

Characterized by, or addicted to, ratiocination; consisting in the comparison of proportions or facts, and the deduction of inferences from the comparison; argumentative; as, a ratiocinative process. The ratiocinative meditativeness of his character. Coleridge.

Addicted to reading; as, a reading community. Reading book, a book for teaching reading; a reader. -- Reading desk, a desk to support a book while reading; esp., a desk used while reading the service in a church. -- Reading glass, a large lens with more or less magnifying power, attached to a handle, and used in read…

Addicted to introspective or meditative habits; as, a reflective person.

One who is addicted to indulging, narrating, or recording reminiscences.

Addicted to sloth; inactive; sluggish; lazy; indolent; idle. He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. Prov. xviii. 9. -- Sloth"ful*ly, adv. -- Sloth"ful*ness, n.

One addicted to superstition. [Obs.] "Blind superstitionists." Dr. H. More.

Evincing superstition; overscrupulous and rigid in religious observances; addicted to superstition; full of idle fancies and scruples in regard to religion. Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. Acts xvii. 22.

Somewhat temulent; addicted to drink. [R.] R. Junius.

One addicted to theosophy. The theosophist is one who gives you a theory of God, or of the works of God, which has not reason, but an inspiration of his own, for its basis. R. A. Vaughan.

One who pretends to, or is addicted to, theurgy. Hallywell.

Given to stealing; addicted to theft; as, a thievish boy, a thievish magpie.

The act of playing truant, or the state of being truant; as, addicted to truancy.

Addicted to vice; corrupt in principles or conduct; depraved; wicked; as, vicious children; vicious examples; vicious conduct. Who . . . heard this heavy curse, Servant of servants, on his vicious race. Milton.

A voluptuous person; one who makes his physical enjoyment his chief care; one addicted to luxury, and the gratification of sensual appetites. A good-humored, but hard-hearted, voluptuary. Sir W. Scott.