hypocrisy

[ hi-pok-ruh-see ]

See synonyms for hypocrisy on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural hy·poc·ri·sies.

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.

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

synonym study For hypocrisy

1. See duplicity.

Other words from hypocrisy

hy·per·hy·poc·ri·sy, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hypocrisy in a sentence

But for a man who delighted in exposing hypocrisies, his relationship to Communism was riddled with duplicity.
Brecht's Mercenary Mother Courage Turns 75 | Katie Baker | September 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
One of the great hypocrisies built into our standards of beauty is the idea that all women can be beautiful with the right effort.
The Trials of ‘Tammy’: Stop Policing Melissa McCarthy’s Body | Teo Bugbee | July 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
She is an advocate for a frank and open dialogue, free from the stifling hypocrisies of political correctness.
Islam’s Civil War | John Avlon | September 13, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Pivot forward and you can see the hypocrisies that will be dragged out in the coming days.
Team Boehner’s Hypocrisy | John Avlon | July 26, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
A longtime advocate of Israeli-Palestinian cooperation on the hypocrisies—and complexities—of the Gaza conflict.
Where Were the Protesters When Missiles Were Hitting Israel? | Benjamin Pogrund | January 9, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST

Very few faults of architecture are mistakes of honest choice: they are almost always hypocrisies.
The Stones of Venice, Volume I (of 3) | John Ruskin
These nave and threadbare "hypocrisies" of crowds are a commonplace mechanism of the unconscious.
The Behavior of Crowds | Everett Dean Martin
In this fashion the two ladies open their hearts, and contrive to read one another perfectly in their mutual hypocrisies.
Evan Harrington, Complete | George Meredith
And I want to say to you now—I am sorry from my heart for that, and the many other hypocrisies you know I have been guilty of.
Rutledge | Miriam Coles Harris
What prohibitions, what hypocrisies, what responsibilities, what sorrows!
Soliloquies in England | George Santayana

British Dictionary definitions for hypocrisy

hypocrisy

/ (hɪˈpɒkrəsɪ) /

nounplural -sies

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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