hypocrite
Americannoun
-
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.
-
a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie their public statements.
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other Word Forms
- hypocritical adjective
- hypocritically adverb
- superhypocrite noun
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) ( hypocrisy ) + -tēs agent suffix
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.
She had seen some of Watt's YouTube videos at the protests and described him as "a hypocrite".
From BBC
The beauty of Amarillo for the hypocrites of the right is that it’s home to just one federal judge.
From Washington Post
And yet I knew that if I didn’t, I would have felt like a hypocrite or inauthentic.
From Seattle Times
Mr. Mullin went on to say Mr. Sanders was a “hypocrite” for having a negative view of millionaires and billionaires, despite having become wealthy himself through lucrative book deals.
From Washington Times
However, debt activists are pointing out that Owens is a raging hypocrite.
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.
