Meaning & use

hypocrisy

noun·Academic

The act of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs that one's own behavior does not match.

See it in a sentence

Critics accused the senator of hypocrisy after he broke the very law he had championed.

There's a certain hypocrisy in telling children not to lie while lying yourself.

A note on using this word

Hypocrisy specifically involves a gap between stated values and actual behavior, not just dishonesty in general.

Words with a similar meaning

insinceritydouble standard

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

sincerityhonesty

Make it your own

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