Hypocrite

How to spell hypocrite

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce hypocrite

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does hypocrite mean?

1. nounA person who pretends to hold beliefs, standards, or virtues that their own behaviour contradicts.

Hypocrite in a sentence

• The manager was called a hypocrite for banning overtime while staying late himself.

• It is hard to trust a hypocrite who preaches honesty but cheats on his taxes.

Where does hypocrite come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the ancient Greek hypokrites, which literally meant 'an actor on the stage', someone who answers and plays a part. It was built from hypo, meaning 'under', and krinein, the verb 'to judge, decide or separate', so the original sense was close to 'one who delivers his judgement from beneath a mask'. Because a stage actor pretends to be someone he is not, the word drifted toward the idea of a person who feigns virtue or beliefs he does not truly hold. It travelled into English in the early 1200s through Old French ypocrite and Church Latin hypocrita, in religious writing condemning false piety. The same krinein root sits inside 'critic' and 'criterion', and the silent-feeling Greek 'y' near the front is exactly what trips writers who expect an 'i'.

How the word is built

• hypo- (under)
• krit (from krinein: to judge, decide)
• -e