Definitions

hypocritical

[hip-uh-krit-i-kuhl] / ˌhɪp əˈkrɪt ɪ kəl /

ADJECTIVE

deceitful, pretending

Synonyms

STRONGEST

deceptive duplicitous false insincere sanctimonious self-righteous unnatural

WEAK

affected artificial assuming bland canting captious caviling deluding dissembling double double-dealing faithless feigning fishy fraudulent glib hollow jivey left-handed lying moralistic oily pharisaical phony pietistic pious smooth smooth-spoken smooth-tongued snide specious spurious two-faced unctuous unreliable

Antonyms

STRONGEST

forthright frank genuine honest humble open real truthful

WEAK

actual authentic just reliable righteous sincere upright

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Most of these voters didn’t want to say that they like it when politicians are hypocritical.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026

"Beijing is also deeply suspicious of Takaichi and are likely to view her attempts to de-escalate without explicitly retracting her comments as hypocritical or, even worse, strategically deceptive," they added.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

He called his former party "incredibly hypocritical" for removing seven other councillors from its ranks in recent months.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026

“Dead Man” takes aim at hypocritical strong men who grandstand on a pulpit.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025

“He does his work very well,” put in Henry, with hypocritical generosity.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

Vocabulary lists containing hypocritical

"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe

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"The Tell-Tale Heart," Vocabulary from the short story

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Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"

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