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

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

• cant
• dissembling
• dissimulation
• insincerity
• piousness

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

Iranian officials frequently accuse Western governments of hypocrisy in focusing on Iran’s nuclear program while saying nothing about Israel, a nuclear-armed country that is not subject to IAEA oversight. —Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

People, in my view, reinforce their personal hypocrisy out of self-preservation. —Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024

The hypocrisy of this topic is most recently being explored in the Amazon film The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway as a 40-year-old single mom who begins a romance with a 24-year-old boy band singer. —Kristina Behr, Parents, 2 Apr. 2024

If the war in Gaza posed the next test of whether Western leaders truly grasped the importance of facing accusations of hypocrisy, those leaders appear to have failed. —Comfort Ero, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024

These lyrical gestures, combined with the album’s many sonic juxtapositions, help draw out an American hypocrisy. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 29 Mar. 2024

There will be political points scored off of prudish hypocrisy and modern-day social rot. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2024

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, a group that supports Democrats in state races, criticized the Republican groups and accused them in a statement of hypocrisy around mail-in voting. —Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024

Some nations, including Zimbabwe, have accused America of meddling in their affairs and attempting to impose its values — as well as of hypocrisy, given the threats at home to its own democracy. —John Eligon, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024

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

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