hypocritical

adjective

hyp·o·crit·i·cal ˌhi-pə-ˈkri-ti-kəl

Synonyms of hypocritical next

: 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

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 That would be super hypocritical and make no sense. —

Dalton Ross, EW.com, 23 May 2024 Given the hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis who died as result of the U.S. invasions, this emphasis on protecting civilians may seem hypocritical. —

Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for hypocritical

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hypocritical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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