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

a hypocritical attitude/argument

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 whose actions are contrary to their stated beliefs or feelings : being a hypocrite

… is famous for his … acidic takedowns of craven and hypocritical politicians.

—Brett Lang

hypocritically

ˌhi-pə-ˈkri-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of hypocritical

• fake
• double
• meaningless
• superficial
• lip
• insincere
• strained
• hollow
• pretended
• artificial
• unnatural
• backhanded
• pious

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

The fine was controversial to begin with, as fans and pundits pointed out the NFL’s business with beer sponsors such as Bud Light and called the sensitivity over the celebration hypocritical. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026

In his appeal, Juszczyk also argued that fining players for pretending to drink beer was hypocritical given the NFL’s beer sponsorships. — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026

Californian Fred Karger, who made history in 2012 as the first openly gay person to run for president, had mixed views about the ad, calling it shrewd yet hypocritical. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Some churches have rightly been accused of being partisan, hypocritical and discriminatory toward women and minorities. — John Blake, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

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