hypocritical
adjective
hyp·o·crit·i·cal
ˌhi-pə-ˈkri-ti-kəl 
: 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
Robert Graves
also
: being a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings : being a hypocrite
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
There’s no question which member of Congress put on the year’s most hypocritical legislative performance.
—Carl P. Leubsdorf, Twin Cities, 23 July 2025
There’s just this hypocritical system in which there is demand for immigrant labor in many industries, along with demonization of these very contributors.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
There were numerous examples of the committee paying too little attention to schedule strength, over-emphasizing the number of losses, making hypocritical decisions and talking out of both sides of its mouth.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 20 June 2025
Douglass’s decision to speak on July 5, deliberately after Independence Day celebrations, symbolically underscored his argument: America’s celebration of freedom was bitterly ironic and deeply hypocritical in the context of slavery and racial oppression.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 4 July 2025
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Carl P. Leubsdorf, Twin Cities, 23 July 2025
There’s just this hypocritical system in which there is demand for immigrant labor in many industries, along with demonization of these very contributors.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
There were numerous examples of the committee paying too little attention to schedule strength, over-emphasizing the number of losses, making hypocritical decisions and talking out of both sides of its mouth.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 20 June 2025
Douglass’s decision to speak on July 5, deliberately after Independence Day celebrations, symbolically underscored his argument: America’s celebration of freedom was bitterly ironic and deeply hypocritical in the context of slavery and racial oppression.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hypocritical
Cite this Entry
“Hypocritical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocritical. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
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