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
Synonym Usage
See duplicity.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
No need to untangle the complex hypocrisy here — it’s all laid out in arrows and diagrams.
From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026
Some social media users have also taken issue with what they see as the hypocrisy of picking up rubbish abroad, when Japan's public spaces are often lined with rubbish after large events.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
David Lindsay-Abaire’s “The Balusters” is a piquant comedy satirizing the hollowness and hypocrisy of well-to-do do-gooders on a neighborhood homeowners association board.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
She said last year she had turned down France's highest civilian honour, the legion d'honneur, accusing the country of "hypocrisy" over visa policies that prevented dissidents travelling from Iran to France.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
We presented The Blockade of Boston, Major-General Burgoyne’s farce upon rebel hypocrisy, as one of the most celebrated events of our hivernal concert series.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
