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

"The smears being thrown against her are reprehensible and hypocritical," Rupert McNeil, former head of HR at the Civil Service said recently.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

Mom and dad are opting to scroll in secret lest they be accused of being hypocritical for telling their children to get off their screens.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

Why you should let it fade: While the film’s premise is novel and the franchise is known for its big swings, the very existence of “Toy Story 5” feels too hypocritical.

From Salon • Jan. 4, 2026

“We have had women enough sacrificed to this sentimental, hypocritical prating about purity,” she wrote to her friend Lucretia Mott.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

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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