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.

"The finding of the jury confirms that this lawsuit was a hypocritical attempt to sabotage a competitor," OpenAI attorney William Savitt said outside the courthouse.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

The lawsuit also alleged Cameron’s actions were hypocritical of his films’ messaging and detailed public backlash Cameron and the films faced for its depictions of Native groups.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

Perrotin said he admired Allen’s work for years ahead of the Biennale appointment and was annoyed by the backlash, calling it hypocritical.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

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

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026

But Theo has no religious feelings at all and thinks it would be hypocritical.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

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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