Definition of hypocrisy
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
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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 of hypocrisy from the Web
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Schaaf said attacking the ethics of legislators while subverting campaign disclosure laws and contribution limits with a nonprofit was the height of hypocrisy.
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The practice opens Trump up to charges of hypocrisy.
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The practice opens Trump up to charges of hypocrisy.
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The practice opens Trump up to charges of hypocrisy.
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The practice opens Trump up to charges of hypocrisy.
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The practice opens Trump up to charges of hypocrisy.
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The practice opens Trump up to charges of hypocrisy.
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That made Spicer’s critique of anonymous sources during his briefing problematic, opening himself and the similarly oft-critical Trump to reporters’ suggestions of hypocrisy.
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.
Origin and Etymology of hypocrisy
Middle English ypocrisie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin hypocrisis, from Greek hypokrisis act of playing a part on the stage, hypocrisy, from hypokrinesthai to answer, act on the stage, from hypo- + krinein to decide — more at certain
First Known Use: 13th century
HYPOCRISY Defined for English Language Learners
hypocrisy
playDefinition of hypocrisy for English Language Learners
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: 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
HYPOCRISY Defined for Kids
hypocrisy
playDefinition of hypocrisy for Students
hypocrisies
: the quality of acting in a way that goes against claimed beliefs or feelings
Learn More about hypocrisy
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See words that rhyme with hypocrisy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hypocrisy Spanish Central: Translation of hypocrisy Nglish: Translation of hypocrisy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hypocrisy for Arabic speakers
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