hypocrisy

noun

hy·​poc·​ri·​sy hi-ˈpä-krə-sē How to pronounce hypocrisy (audio)
 also  hī-
plural hypocrisies
1
: a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not : behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel
His hypocrisy was finally revealed with the publication of his private letters.
especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion
our conventional morality often serves as a cover for hypocrisy and selfishness Lucius Garvin
2
: an act or instance of hypocrisy
a keen awareness of one's parents' hypocrisies

Examples of hypocrisy in a Sentence

When his private letters were made public, they revealed his hypocrisy. the hypocrisy of people who say one thing but do another Teenagers often have a keen awareness of their parents' hypocrisies.
Recent Examples on the Web Shocking hypocrisy And finally, there is the point that there are barely any witnesses to the assaults. Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 But whether Musk can successfully turn what amounts to a charge of hypocrisy into a winning court case is an entirely different matter. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 The series didn’t depend on access to politicians, so Stewart could be more forceful in calling out their hypocrisies than the mainstream media, which became a target of his ire in its own right. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2024 With its stories, Business Insider raised both the idea of hypocrisy and the possibility that academic dishonesty is widespread, even among the nation’s most prominent scholars. David Bauder, Fortune, 15 Jan. 2024 Oxman is the wife of Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge-fund manager who helped lead the public campaign to oust Gay from Harvard; these stories highlighted the apparent hypocrisy of his plagiarism fixation. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2024 The failed impeachment of AG Ken Paxton underscored the hypocrisy of Charlie Geren. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2024 He’s made horror films before, but this one rebukes the hypocrisies of social progressives and the whole damned better-than-thou global elite. Armond White, National Review, 14 Feb. 2024 Mark Lewis’ interpretation of the Bret Stephens’ piece presents an interesting take on hypocrisy and double standards. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hypocrisy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ypocrisye, borrowed from Anglo-French ypocrisie, borrowed from Late Latin hypocrisis, ypocrisis, borrowed from Greek hypókrisis "playing a part on the stage, pretending to be something one is not," from hypokri-, variant stem of hypokrī́nomai, hypokrī́nesthai "to reply, make an answer, speak in dialogue, play a part on the stage, feign" (from hypo- hypo- + krī́nomai, middle voice of krī́nō, krī́nein "to separate, choose, decide, judge") + -sis, suffix forming nouns of action or process — more at certain entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hypocrisy was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near hypocrisy

Cite this Entry

“Hypocrisy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocrisy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hypocrisy

noun
hy·​poc·​ri·​sy hip-ˈäk-rə-sē How to pronounce hypocrisy (audio)
plural hypocrisies
: behavior that does not agree with what one claims to believe or feel
the hypocrisy of people who say one thing and do another

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