hypocrite

noun

hyp·​o·​crite ˈhi-pə-ˌkrit 

1

: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion

… there are the hypocrites, who hurry to church on Sunday, but exhibit a whole spectrum of sins during the week.

—Lorraine V. Murray

2

: a person whose behavior contradicts their stated beliefs or feelings

The genuine hypocrite does or says one thing in public and another in private.

—Barton Swaim

hypocrite adjective

Examples of hypocrite in a Sentence

We can learn a good deal about the manners and morals of the times from Lautrec, for he was neither a hypocrite nor a sentimentalist, and there is a matter-of-fact-ness about his vision … that precludes both nostalgia and prurience. —Elizabeth Cowling, Times Literary Supplement, 8 Nov. 1991

Holding up high moral, ethical, and social standards is very difficult, because if one falls short of being a perfect example, one becomes a target and a hypocrite, albeit a well-meaning one. —Mark Masters et al., New Dimensions, June 1990

Of all of these things and people Cilla knew nothing, nor could he tell her, yet he tried to show interest in what she had to tell him. Once he would have been very interested. Now he felt like a hypocrite, and because he was uncomfortable he blamed it in some way on Cilla. —Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain, 1943

the hypocrites who criticize other people for not voting but who don't always vote themselves

Recent Examples on the Web

Free speech hypocrite and Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr appeared on a right wing podcast on Wednesday, and was mad at one of Kimmel’s late night jokes that mentioned dead podcaster Charlie Kirk. —James Folta september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025

Social media immediately ran to her comments, with some calling her out as a hypocrite. —Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2025

But in 1920, that all changed when Edward Clarke and Elizabeth Tyler (marketing experts and morality hypocrites) were taken on. —Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2025

Words like danger; hypocrite; blood; fire. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ypocrite, borrowed from Anglo-French ipocrite, borrowed from Late Latin hypocrita, borrowed from Greek hypokritḗs "answerer, actor on a stage, pretender," from hypokri-, variant stem of hypokrī́nomai, hypokrī́nesthai "to reply, make an answer, speak in dialogue, play a part on the stage, feign" + -tēs, agent suffix — more at hypocrisy

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hypocrite

• candlelit
• counterfeit
• monazite
• resubmit
• retrofit
• acquit
• admit
• amrit
• armpit
• backlit
• befit
• cockpit

Kids Definition

hypocrite

noun

hyp·​o·​crite ˈhip-ə-ˌkrit 

1

: a person who pretends to have virtues or qualities that he or she does not have

2

: a person whose actions contradict their stated beliefs or feelings

hypocritical

ˌhip-ə-ˈkrit-i-kəl

adjective

hypocritically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb