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
Synonyms
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
The Phoenix Republican’s reversal came after The Arizona Republic shared with him news footage of Wednesday's floor session, where Gress' actions were loudly condemned by Democrats as hypocritical and helped fuel a loud and angry protest shaming Republicans for not taking up the repeal vote.
—The Arizona Republic, 13 Apr. 2024
Our punches don’t have the same zip to them; the provocations that once felt exciting and necessary now feel tired, rehearsed, even hypocritical in an arguably juvenile yet still broadly legible way.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
Some are calling such uproar hypocritical and even feigned.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024
This seems to be a deliberate departure from the traditional somber funeral, which was sometimes impersonal or hypocritical.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Grande’s question is, in fact, a little hypocritical.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024
Important regional powers such as India and South Africa have bad memories of Western colonialism and see the West’s invocation of a moral struggle as self-serving and hypocritical.
—Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024
Though the women’s Chamber Match had better action, the men’s match told a better story with a hypocritical McIntyre capitalizing on one cheap pinfall after another.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
Critics of Apple’s alleged anticompetitive practices have long complained that its claim to prioritize user privacy is hypocritical when profits are at stake.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
The Arizona Republic, 13 Apr. 2024
Our punches don’t have the same zip to them; the provocations that once felt exciting and necessary now feel tired, rehearsed, even hypocritical in an arguably juvenile yet still broadly legible way.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
Some are calling such uproar hypocritical and even feigned.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024
This seems to be a deliberate departure from the traditional somber funeral, which was sometimes impersonal or hypocritical.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Grande’s question is, in fact, a little hypocritical.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024
Important regional powers such as India and South Africa have bad memories of Western colonialism and see the West’s invocation of a moral struggle as self-serving and hypocritical.
—Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2024
Though the women’s Chamber Match had better action, the men’s match told a better story with a hypocritical McIntyre capitalizing on one cheap pinfall after another.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
Critics of Apple’s alleged anticompetitive practices have long complained that its claim to prioritize user privacy is hypocritical when profits are at stake.
—Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hypocritical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hypocritical
Cite this Entry
“Hypocritical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocritical. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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