hypocrisy
Americannoun
plural
hypocrisies-
a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.
-
a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.
-
an act or instance of hypocrisy.
noun
-
the practice of professing standards, beliefs, etc, contrary to one's real character or actual behaviour, esp the pretence of virtue and piety
-
an act or instance of this
Related Words
See duplicity.
Other Word Forms
- hyperhypocrisy noun
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
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.
It is worse than hypocrisy, because they seek to deceive not only others but themselves.
They can be scathingly ironic, alert to every hypocrisy that corroborates their cynical worldview, and even seductive in a perverse, power-mad way.
From Los Angeles Times
What makes this moment especially grotesque is the hypocrisy.
From Salon
“Matt and Trey have become fabulously wealthy by pointing out the hypocrisy of rich and powerful people,” said David Levy, communications director for Actors’ Equity.
From Los Angeles Times
We’re constantly reminded about the Founding Fathers’ hypocrisy on the matter of liberty, for example, but in a way that feeds curiosity about this American experiment of ours, not shame.
From Salon
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.
