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
Robert Graves
also
: being a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings : being a hypocrite
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
Now, instead of being a source of national pride, many elite universities have become a source of national division, with some Americans viewing them as decadent, hypocritical or even hostile to their values.
—Allison Schrager, Twin Cities, 3 June 2025
The true villain is Herod, who, in his hypocritical mixture of slobbering lust and grandstanding moralism, is a model man of power.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
And with legalized gambling sites now a huge revenue stream for MLB and many of its teams, the Rose ban seemed hypocritical to some.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
Kathleen O’Leary, Boca Raton Get a mirror, Marco The Republican Party is the most hypocritical group of politicians this country has ever seen, and Marco Rubio its biggest hypocrite of all.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025
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Allison Schrager, Twin Cities, 3 June 2025
The true villain is Herod, who, in his hypocritical mixture of slobbering lust and grandstanding moralism, is a model man of power.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
And with legalized gambling sites now a huge revenue stream for MLB and many of its teams, the Rose ban seemed hypocritical to some.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
Kathleen O’Leary, Boca Raton Get a mirror, Marco The Republican Party is the most hypocritical group of politicians this country has ever seen, and Marco Rubio its biggest hypocrite of all.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hypocritical
Cite this Entry
“Hypocritical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocritical. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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