hypocrisy
Americannoun
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a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.
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a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.
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an act or instance of hypocrisy.
noun
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the practice of professing standards, beliefs, etc, contrary to one's real character or actual behaviour, esp the pretence of virtue and piety
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an act or instance of this
Related Words
See duplicity.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hypocrisy
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English ipocrisie, from Old French, from Late Latin hypocrisis, from Greek hypókrisis “play acting,” from hypokrī(nesthai)́ “to play a part, explain” (from hypo- hypo- + krī́nein “to distinguish, separate”) + -sis -sis
Explanation
People who tell you not to eat candy while they chomp away on licorice all day? People who say they hate cars but always beg you for a ride? They are engaging in hypocrisy, or behavior that is different from what they say they believe. A hypocrite is a person who practices hypocrisy: what they say is not what they do. The noun hypocrisy descends from the Greek hypokrisis "acting on a stage," from hypokrinesthai "to play a part, pretend," from the prefix hypo- "under" plus krinein "to judge." Many times kids are enraged by their parents' hypocrisy when parents make their children follow rules they don't follow themselves.
Vocabulary lists containing hypocrisy
Advanced English Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The deal marked a change of heart for Musk, who had earlier claimed that Anthropic’s AI was racist and accused the company of hypocrisy.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
The theatre website went on to say the play highlights how "we are still grappling with many of the same issues: gendered hypocrisy, slut-shaming, the corrosive danger of misinformation and mob mentality".
From BBC • May 13, 2026
And though clearly on the side of forgiveness and compassion, Tanaka is also fully aware of her nation’s prevailing hypocrisy, which accounts for the film’s fittingly ambiguous ending.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
A tradwife influencer’s public meltdown or toxic relationship prods at the artifice and hypocrisy of aspirational Christian content, but these scandals also reveal an uncomfortable relationship between creators and their audience.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
Maybe it was the residency issue that did me in, though I suspect it was the misplaced hypocrisy.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
