hypocrite
Americannoun
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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.
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a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie their public statements.
noun
Other Word Forms
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) ( see hypocrisy) + -tēs agent suffix
Explanation
A hypocrite preaches one thing, and does another. You're a hypocrite if you criticize other people for wearing fur, but pull out your big mink jacket as soon as it gets cold. The word hypocrite is rooted in the Greek word hypokrites, which means “stage actor, pretender, dissembler.” So think of a hypocrite as a person who pretends to be a certain way, but really acts and believes the total opposite. Hypocrites usually talk a big talk but fail to follow their own rules — like an outspoken vegetarian who secretly eats bacon.
Vocabulary lists containing hypocrite
The Hate U Give
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
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"Thanksgiving: A Personal History"
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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.
Appeared in the October 7, 2025, print edition as 'How to Spot the Moments When You’re a Hypocrite'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 5, 2025
And the LA Times added: "Hypocrite alert! Flip-flop alarm! What happened to independence?"
From US News • May 6, 2016
While the Bureaucrat Hall of Fame and Moocher Hall of Fame already exist, the Hypocrite Hall of Fame is just a concept.
From Forbes • May 14, 2015
The Hypocrite who disguised his jealousy of all things good and sweet with sour mockery.
From Salon • Apr. 20, 2011
The indignant reply of the empress may be inscribed as an epitaph on his tomb, "You die, as you have lived—a Hypocrite!"
From History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 4 by Milman, Henry Hart
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.
