hypocritical
Americanadjective
-
of the nature of hypocrisy, or pretense of having virtues, beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually possess.
The parent who has a “do what I say and not what I do” attitude can appear hypocritical to a child.
-
possessing the characteristics of hypocrisy.
Isn't a politician hypocritical for talking about human dignity while voting against reasonable social programs?
Other Word Forms
- hypocritically adverb
- unhypocritical adjective
- unhypocritically adverb
Etymology
Origin of hypocritical
First recorded in 1515–25; equivalent to Greek hypokritik(ós) (from hypokritḗs “a stage actor” + -ikós -ic ( def. ) ) + -al 1 ( def. ); hypocrite ( def. )
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 seemed to me to be so hypocritical.
From Literature
Most of these voters didn’t want to say that they like it when politicians are hypocritical.
From Salon
"Beijing is also deeply suspicious of Takaichi and are likely to view her attempts to de-escalate without explicitly retracting her comments as hypocritical or, even worse, strategically deceptive," they added.
From BBC
"The smears being thrown against her are reprehensible and hypocritical," Rupert McNeil, former head of HR at the Civil Service said recently.
From BBC
It’s always difficult to make a series or film that explores the pressures of fame and media-fed public interest without seeming hypocritical.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
