Adjacent Words

Hypocrisy definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HYPOC'RISY, n. [L. hypocrisis; Gr. simulation; to feign; to separate, discern or judge.]
1. Simulation; a feigning to be what one is not; or dissimulation, a concealment of one's real character or motives. More generally, hypocrisy is simulation, or the assuming of a false appearance of virtue or religion; a deceitful show of a good character, in morals or religion; a counterfeiting of religion.
Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Luke 12.
2. Simulation; deceitful appearance; false pretence.
Hypocrisy is the necessary burden of villainy.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction [syn: hypocrisy, lip service]
2: insincerity by virtue of pretending to have qualities or beliefs that you do not really have

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -sies) Etymology: Middle English ypocrisie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin hypocrisis, from Greek hypokrisis act of playing a part on the stage, hypocrisy, from hypokrinesthai to answer, act on the stage, from hypo- + krinein to decide — more at certain Date: 13th century 1. a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; especially the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion 2. an act or instance of hypocrisy

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 the assumption or postulation of moral standards to which one's own behaviour does not conform; dissimulation, pretence. 2 an instance of this. Etymology: ME f. OF ypocrisie f. eccl.L hypocrisis f. Gk hupokrisis acting of a part, pretence (as HYPO-, krino decide, judge)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hypocrisy Hy*poc"ri*sy (h[i^]*p[o^]k"r[i^]*s[y^]), n.; pl. Hypocrisies (-s[i^]z). [OE. hypocrisie, ypocrisie, OF. hypocrisie, ypocrisie, F. hypocrisie, L. hypocrisis, fr. Gr. "ypo`krisis the playing a part on the stage, simulation, outward show, fr. "ypokr`nesqai to answer on the stage, to play a part; "ypo` under + kri`nein to decide; in the middle voice, to dispute, contend. See Hypo-, and Critic.] The act or practice of a hypocrite; a feigning to be what one is not, or to feel what one does not feel; a dissimulation, or a concealment of one's real character, disposition, or motives; especially, the assuming of false appearance of virtue or religion; a simulation of goodness. Hypocrisy is the necessary burden of villainy. --Rambler. Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue. --La Rochefoucauld (Trans. ).

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(hypocrisies) If you accuse someone of hypocrisy, you mean that they pretend to have qualities, beliefs, or feelings that they do not really have. He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story... ? sincerity N-VAR [disapproval]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Pharisaism, formalism, sanctimoniousness, cant, pietism, assumed piety. 2. Dissimulation, deceit, deception, imposture, pretence, false profession.

Moby Thesaurus

Pecksniffery, Pharisaism, Tartuffery, Tartuffism, affectation, affectedness, airs, airs and graces, artfulness, artificiality, cant, casuistry, charlatanism, charlatanry, chicanery, craft, cunning, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, double-dealing, duplicity, empty gesture, facade, fakery, false front, false piety, false show, falseheartedness, falseness, feigned belief, front, furtiveness, glibness, goody-goodiness, guile, humbug, hypocriticalness, image, indirection, insidiousness, insincerity, lip service, lying, mannerism, mealymouthedness, mendacity, mere show, mouthing, mummery, oiliness, ostentatious devotion, pecksniffery, pharisaicalness, pharisaism, pietism, pietisticalness, piety, piousness, pretense, pretension, prunes and prisms, public image, put-on, putting on airs, quackery, religionism, religiosity, sanctimoniousness, sanctimony, self-righteousness, sham, shiftiness, show, sneak attack, sneakiness, snivel, snuffle, snuffling, soft soap, stylishness, surreptitiousness, sweet talk, tokenism, treacherousness, two-facedness, unction, unctuousness, underhandedness, unnaturalness