hypocrisy

noun

hy·​poc·​ri·​sy hi-ˈpä-krə-sē 

 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

Free speech … depends on our ability to see through the hypocrisy of those who claim to defend it while working to suppress it.

—Andy Craig

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

Synonyms of hypocrisy

• deception
• deceit
• deceptiveness
• insincerity
• deceitfulness
• affectation

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

Their online parlance is punctuated by empty enthusiasms, vicious aspersions, and obvious hypocrisies that rarely matter. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025

Jersey sales was probably one of the most egregious hypocrisies of the NCAA’s amateurism rule for student athletes, which stipulated that players were never to benefit financially from their name, image and likeness — even if others did. —Andrea Williams, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025

And in the 1963 Czech cult classic The Cassandra Cat, a tabby exposes the truth by making people’s skin change color based on their moral character — red for love, orange or violet for hypocrisy. —Steve Garbarino, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025

The series highlights the absurdities and hypocrisies therein. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for hypocrisy

• autocracy
• bureaucracy
• democracy
• plutocracy
• theocracy
• aristocracy
• meritocracy

Kids Definition

hypocrisy

noun

hy·​poc·​ri·​sy hip-ˈäk-rə-sē 

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