hypocrisy

noun

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hy·poc·ri·sy | \ hi-ˈpä-krə-sē

also hī- \

plural hypocrisies

Essential Meaning of hypocrisy

disapproving : the behavior of people who do things that they tell other people not to do : behavior that does not agree with what someone claims to believe or feel 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.

Full Definition of hypocrisy

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

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About hypocrisy

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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 Companies will continue to face legitimate blowback if this blatant hypocrisy, whether directly or through their trade associations, continues. — Aron Cramer, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2021 After three decades of strident, self-righteous hypocrisy, that part of the game is over. — Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 25 Aug. 2021 Admittedly, these relationships have also been the grease that lubricates Washington’s most cynical and self-enriching wheels: hypocrisy, opportunism and transactional back-scratching. — Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2021 Third, there’s that infamous French Laundry hypocrisy when the governor attended a lobbyist friend’s birthday dinner with several other maskless people inside a fancy wine country restaurant. — George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2021 This hypocrisy, deeply unsettling on its face, is even more troubling at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise and American knowledge of the Holocaust seems to be waning, with young people radically underestimating the number of Jews murdered. — Jill Filipovic, CNN, 15 June 2021 Police Chief James Craig slams Amazon’s ‘hypocrisy’ for allowing the sale of the merchandise on its platform. — Fox News, 4 June 2021 The Minutes explores the inner workings of a city council meeting, and the hypocrisy, greed, and ambition that surface when a newcomer to the small town of Big Cherry starts to ask the wrong questions. — Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, 3 Apr. 2021 The play takes a look at the inner workings of a city council meeting and the hypocrisy, greed and ambition that bubble to the surface when a newcomer to the small town of Big Cherry starts to ask the wrong questions. — NBC News, 3 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hypocrisy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for hypocrisy

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