hypocrisy
noun
hy·poc·ri·sy
hi-ˈpä-krə-sē 
also hī-
plural hypocrisies
1
: a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not : behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel
His hypocrisy was finally revealed with the publication of his private letters.
especially
: the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion
our conventional morality often serves as a cover for hypocrisy and selfishness —
Lucius Garvin
Lucius Garvin 2
: an act or instance of hypocrisy
a keen awareness of one's parents' hypocrisies
Synonyms
Examples of hypocrisy in a Sentence
When his private letters were made public, they revealed his hypocrisy.
the hypocrisy of people who say one thing but do another
Teenagers often have a keen awareness of their parents' hypocrisies.
Recent Examples on the Web
Young people, in general, are particularly attuned to hypocrisies, which, in turn, kick up a sometimes errant, but oftentimes righteous, desire to rage against the machine.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Lying, like hypocrisy, happens often in the business world — and sometimes makes headlines.
—Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024
She’s successfully beaten back charges of hypocrisy and bandwagon feminism, and her star can continue to shine.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 12 Sep. 2024
The unending, unjust Israel-Hamas war exposes rifts in the universality of human rights and the hypocrisy of Western nations, writes Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist and former professor of journalism at Princeton University.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hypocrisy 
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Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Lying, like hypocrisy, happens often in the business world — and sometimes makes headlines.
—Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024
She’s successfully beaten back charges of hypocrisy and bandwagon feminism, and her star can continue to shine.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 12 Sep. 2024
The unending, unjust Israel-Hamas war exposes rifts in the universality of human rights and the hypocrisy of Western nations, writes Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist and former professor of journalism at Princeton University.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hypocrisy
Dictionary Entries Near hypocrisy
Cite this Entry
“Hypocrisy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocrisy. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hypocrisy
noun
hy·poc·ri·sy
hip-ˈäk-rə-sē
plural hypocrisies
: behavior that does not agree with what one claims to believe or feel
the hypocrisy of people who say one thing and do another
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