hypocrisy
Americannoun
plural
hypocrisies-
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.
noun
-
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
Related Words
See duplicity.
Other Word Forms
- hyperhypocrisy noun
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
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.
As for the rest of the world, shame and hypocrisy abound.
From Salon
In a conversation with the Bulwark’s Tim Miller immediately following Spanberger’s response, Buttigieg pointed out Americans’ anxieties surrounding affordability and homed in on a way to call out the GOP’s hypocrisy.
From Salon
There is a particular kind of hypocrisy so brazen, so cartoonishly on-the-nose, that it almost defies satire.
From Salon
Scott Shambaugh woke up early Wednesday morning to learn that an artificial intelligence bot had written a blog post accusing him of hypocrisy and prejudice.
“The fact that they’re engaging in that while arguing for a unified sense of documentation shows the hypocrisy,” Hancock said.
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.
