hypocritical

Meaning

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Saying you believe in certain standards of behavior while you yourself act against those same standards.

   Grammar: Frequently appears as it is hypocritical of someone to do something; can take more/most for stronger criticism.

   Patterns

   • It is hypocritical of someone to do something
   • a hypocritical statement
   • sound hypocritical

   It is hypocritical of him to lecture us about littering when he never recycles.

   Her speech about honesty felt hypocritical once we learned she had lied on her application.

   Don't you think it's a bit hypocritical to complain about noise while blasting music at midnight?

Word forms

Common combinations

It is hypocritical of someone to do something

It would be hypocritical of me to judge her when I have made the same mistake.

a hypocritical attitude

Voters punished the senator for his hypocritical attitude toward campaign spending.

sound hypocritical

I know it sounds hypocritical, but I have changed my mind since then.

Synonyms and how they differ

two-faced

Suggests deliberate deceit toward people; hypocritical focuses on the clash between stated principles and personal behavior.

insincere

Means not genuinely felt, usually about words or feelings, and does not require moral standards as hypocritical does.

Opposites

Word family

hypocrite noun

A person who acts hypocritically.

hypocrisy noun

The practice of claiming moral standards one does not follow.

hypocritically adverb

In a hypocritical manner.

Commonly confused: hypocritical or hypercritical?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hypocritical”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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