hypocritical

adjective hyp·o·crit·i·cal \ ˌhi-pə-ˈkri-ti-kəl \

Definition of hypocritical

:characterized by behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel :characterized by hypocrisy

said that it was hypocritical to demand respect from students without respecting them in return

a hypocritical gesture of modesty and virtue
—Robert Graves

; also :being a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings :being a hypocrite

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hypocritically

play \ˌhi-pə-ˈkri-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Examples of hypocritical in a Sentence

it's hypocritical to say mean things behind someone's back, and then to act nice when you want something from her

Recent Examples of hypocritical from the Web

On a number of conservative blogs, both son and mother Cortina instantly became a symbol of the left's hypocritical tolerance for censorship and violence as long as they're used to confront conservative, Trumpian ideologies.

— cam wolf, GQ, "These Schools Banned Trump Gear—Unless They Didn’t," 22 Aug. 2017
Countless others defended Jazz on Twitter, shaming Dillard for picking on someone nearly half his age and calling him hypocritical for criticizing TLC's choices while continuing to work with the network.

— andrea park, Glamour, "Jazz Jennings Calmly Shuts Down Counting On Star Derick Dillard's Transphobic Tweet as 'Cyber-Bullying'," 4 Aug. 2017
Countless others defended Jennings on Twitter, shaming Dillard for picking on someone nearly half his age and calling him hypocritical for criticizing TLC's choices while continuing to work with the network.

— andrea park, Allure, "Jazz Jennings Shuts Down Derick Dillard’s Transphobic Tweet," 4 Aug. 2017
John McCain himself went out of his way to highlight why his choice was so sad, and so hypocritical.

— james fallows, The Atlantic, "John McCain Makes His Choice," 26 July 2017
So flip-flopping on that more recent position could seem more hypocritical than reversing a vote for a 2015 repeal bill.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Senate GOP to Try Doomed Vote on ‘Straight Repeal’ of Obamacare," 18 July 2017
In the trans community, it is known as going stealth, a decision that can feel hypocritical to children who have been told again and again that there is nothing wrong with them.

— rebecca johnson, Vogue, "Inside the Changing World of Raising Trans Kids," 18 July 2017
Cole rapped about a hypocritical society only interested in money and fame.

— emilee lindner, Billboard, "11 Songs That Sample Presidential Speeches," 6 July 2017
Legalising abortion was the defining defeat of the old order—censorious, hypocritical, male—in post-war France.

— The Economist, "LiberatedObituary: Simone Veil died on June 30th," 5 July 2017

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