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
said that it was hypocritical to demand respect from students without respecting them in return
a hypocritical gesture of modesty and virtue—
Robert Graves
Robert Graves
also
: being a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings : being a hypocrite
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
Kathleen O’Leary, Boca Raton Get a mirror, Marco The Republican Party is the most hypocritical group of politicians this country has ever seen, and Marco Rubio its biggest hypocrite of all.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025
If that strikes you as a little suspicious, maybe even hypocritical, well, have both Bechdels got a book for you.
—Sam Thielman, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Broad stabs of satire target the hypocritical, patriarchal victim-blaming enacted by the police and other authorities, as well as privileged self-help rhetoric that stresses comforting concepts like resilience over the collective’s preference for rage.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 May 2025
Its treatment of longtime host Dennis Moore, whose firing was detailed in the Tribune article, was deplorable and hypocritical, especially in turbulent times of funding cuts in which the arts community should be pulling together.
—Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
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Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025
If that strikes you as a little suspicious, maybe even hypocritical, well, have both Bechdels got a book for you.
—Sam Thielman, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Broad stabs of satire target the hypocritical, patriarchal victim-blaming enacted by the police and other authorities, as well as privileged self-help rhetoric that stresses comforting concepts like resilience over the collective’s preference for rage.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 May 2025
Its treatment of longtime host Dennis Moore, whose firing was detailed in the Tribune article, was deplorable and hypocritical, especially in turbulent times of funding cuts in which the arts community should be pulling together.
—Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hypocritical
Cite this Entry
“Hypocritical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocritical. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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