hypocrite

American  

[hip-uh-krit] / ˈhɪp ə krɪt /

noun

1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that they do not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.

2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie their public statements.

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hypocrite British  

/ ˈhɪpəkrɪt /

noun

1. a person who pretends to be what he is not

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Other Word Forms

• hypocritical adjective
• hypocritically adverb
• superhypocrite noun

Etymology

Origin of hypocrite

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English ipocrite from Old French, from Late Latin hypocrita, from Greek hypokritḗs “a stage actor,” hence “one who pretends to be what he is not,” equivalent to hypokrī(nesthai) ( hypocrisy ) + -tēs agent suffix

Example Sentences

She had seen some of Watt's YouTube videos at the protests and described him as "a hypocrite".

From BBC

“He’s not a hypocrite saying one thing and doing another. He lives what he believes.”

From Salon

He said he knew some climate advocates would disagree and call him a hypocrite because of his carbon footprint, which he said he fully offsets with "legitimate" carbon credits.

From Barron's

She added: "Government has dishonoured every single Indian woman by allowing Taliban minister to exclude women journalists from presser. Shameful bunch of spineless hypocrites."

From BBC

“My kids were like: ‘You hypocrite!’ ” says Scott, 58, who lives in Los Altos, Calif., and is now the co-founder of an executive education firm.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bigot
• charlatan
• crook
• impostor
• phony
• trickster