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

• artificial
• backhanded
• counterfeit
• double
• double-dealing
• double-faced
• fake
• feigned
• insincere
• Janus-faced
• jive [slang]
• left-handed
• lip
• mealy
• mealymouthed
• Pecksniffian
• phony
• phoney
• phony-baloney
• phoney-baloney
• pretended
• two-faced
• unctuous

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

Conclave depicts the Catholic church at an inflection point, with warring political factions proving themselves vain, self-serving, and hypocritical in their pursuit of power. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 Apr. 2025

Kennedy’s hypocritical approach to public health puts us all at risk, warns columnist Robin Abcarian. —Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025

Not his mother’s death but Israel, Gaza, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Palestinians, the Arabs, the Muslims, the hypocritical leftists. —David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025

The hypocritical chest pounding of attorneys condemning those law firms who settled is noteworthy, because many of those same attorneys previously failed to join the efforts to support those firms from the President’s attacks. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 31 Mar. 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