hypocrite

noun

hyp·​o·​crite ˈhi-pə-ˌkrit 

1

: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion

2

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

hypocrite adjective

Examples of hypocrite in a Sentence

We can learn a good deal about the manners and morals of the times from Lautrec, for he was neither a hypocrite nor a sentimentalist, and there is a matter-of-fact-ness about his vision … that precludes both nostalgia and prurience. —Elizabeth Cowling, Times Literary Supplement, 8 Nov. 1991

Holding up high moral, ethical, and social standards is very difficult, because if one falls short of being a perfect example, one becomes a target and a hypocrite, albeit a well-meaning one. —Mark Masters et al., New Dimensions, June 1990

Of all of these things and people Cilla knew nothing, nor could he tell her, yet he tried to show interest in what she had to tell him. Once he would have been very interested. Now he felt like a hypocrite, and because he was uncomfortable he blamed it in some way on Cilla. —Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain, 1943

the hypocrites who criticize other people for not voting but who don't always vote themselves

Recent Examples on the Web

The filing painted West as a hypocrite who publicly advocates for the fair treatment and proper compensation of artists while exploiting them in private. —Zoe Guy, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024

This is the most powerful weapon against this regime of liars, thieves, and hypocrites. —Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024

When confronted further about the Big Lie that also finds a fertile home on social media platforms, Vance declined to respond to questions about the validity of Trump’s loss, instead saying Democrats were hypocrites in claiming Russian ads corrupted the results of 2016. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024

Páramo is a perfect hypocrite, sinning freely and then heading to the confession booth to take advantage of his faith’s unlimited forgiveness policy. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ypocrite, borrowed from Anglo-French ipocrite, borrowed from Late Latin hypocrita, borrowed from Greek hypokritḗs "answerer, actor on a stage, pretender," from hypokri-, variant stem of hypokrī́nomai, hypokrī́nesthai "to reply, make an answer, speak in dialogue, play a part on the stage, feign" + -tēs, agent suffix — more at hypocrisy

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

hypocrite

noun

hyp·​o·​crite ˈhip-ə-ˌkrit 

1

: a person who pretends to have virtues or qualities that he or she does not have

2

: a person whose actions contradict their stated beliefs or feelings

hypocritical

ˌhip-ə-ˈkrit-i-kəl

adjective

hypocritically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb