hypocritical

adjective

hyp·​o·​crit·​i·​cal ˌhi-pə-ˈkri-ti-kəl How to pronounce hypocritical (audio)
: 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 virtueRobert Graves
also : being a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings : being a hypocrite
hypocritically 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 on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Later Tuesday, Johnson said the violence in Los Angeles is not comparable to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and said Trump's mass pardons of Jan. 6 rioters were not hypocritical. Lauren Peller, ABC News, 10 June 2025 Against this backdrop, Iran is leveraging social media and state media to frame the U.S. as unstable and hypocritical—part of a broader strategy to weaken its global credibility amid deepening diplomatic tensions. Amanda Castro shane Croucher billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025 Camp offered sanctuary, a mode of performance that didn’t suffer hypocritical fools gladly. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025 Now, instead of being a source of national pride, many elite universities have become a source of national division, with some Americans viewing them as decadent, hypocritical or even hostile to their values. Allison Schrager, Twin Cities, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for hypocritical

Word History

Etymology

hypocritic "of a hypocrite" (borrowed from Medieval Latin hypocriticus, borrowed from Greek hypokritikós "of acting, skilled in rhetorical delivery," from hypokritḗs "answerer, actor on a stage" + -ikos -ic entry 1) + -al entry 1 — more at hypocrite

First Known Use

1553, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hypocritical was in 1553

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Cite this Entry

“Hypocritical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocritical. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

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