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
Free speech … depends on our ability to see through the hypocrisy of those who claim to defend it while working to suppress it.—
Andy Craig
Andy CraigHis 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
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
For progressives, the undisputed master of the viral protest song is the thirty-three-year-old folksinger Jesse Welles, who makes videos of himself standing in a field, singing clever miniature tunes about the hypocrisies of the health-care industry, tech billionaires, ICE.
—Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2026
The hypocrisy is glaring, of course.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
In December, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said the Epstein files exposed the hypocrisy of Western elites who had long criticized Moscow.
—Anna Noryskiewicz, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Both had spent their entire lives chafing under the terror of bigotry, and from the hypocrisy being exposed by a heinous, toxic legacy of institutionalized double standards.
—John E. Green, Time, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hypocrisy
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Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2026
The hypocrisy is glaring, of course.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
In December, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said the Epstein files exposed the hypocrisy of Western elites who had long criticized Moscow.
—Anna Noryskiewicz, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Both had spent their entire lives chafing under the terror of bigotry, and from the hypocrisy being exposed by a heinous, toxic legacy of institutionalized double standards.
—John E. Green, Time, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hypocrisy
Cite this Entry
“Hypocrisy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocrisy. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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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