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, 27 Feb. 2025

As resident jester at the maverick journalism outlet The Free Press, Nellie Bowles scours the news for the absurd and hypocritical, and then skewers the best of the worst in her column, TGIF. —Roy Rivenburg, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Feb. 2025

The Russian invasion of Ukraine won Vladimir Putin a certain admiration in countries of the global South, as well as among MAGA Americans, while Joe Biden’s appeals to democratic values seemed pallid and hypocritical. —George Packer, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2025

But the weekly shows cut much deeper by undermining trust in the process and repeatedly placing the committee chair in position to look hypocritical from one week to the next. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 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