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

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

hypocritically

ˌhi-pə-ˈkri-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• fake
• double
• meaningless
• pretended
• superficial
• lip
• insincere
• strained
• hollow
• phoney
• artificial
• pious

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

The House Democratic campaign arm released its own statement, calling Republicans hypocritical on the issue. —Julia Manchester, The Hill, 12 Aug. 2025

But another may be a sense that Western nations are being hypocritical. —Salil Tripathi, Time, 8 Aug. 2025

There’s nothing more hypocritical than that position. —Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who will be my next guest, has accused you of being hypocritical for pushing for the release of these files now and not when former President Biden was in office. —NBC news, 27 July 2025

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

Rhymes for hypocritical

• analytical
• apolitical
• diacritical
• hypercritical
• nonpolitical
• parasitical
• supercritical
• critical
• geopolitical
• levitical
• noncritical
• political