Meaning & use
crocodile tears
An insincere display of sadness or sympathy, meant to appear genuine but not truly felt.
See it in a sentence
His apology came with crocodile tears, but no one believed he was actually sorry.
She shed crocodile tears at the meeting, hoping to avoid taking responsibility for the mistake.
A note on using this word
The phrase comes from an old legend that crocodiles cry while eating their prey, and it always implies the emotion shown is false.
Words with a similar meaning
fake sympathyinsincere sorrow
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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