Hypocrisy

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Definition

  • Def: Hypocrisy 1. a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess; 2. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness; 3. An act or instance of such falseness; 4. the act or state of pretending to be better than one is or to have feelings or beliefs which one does not actually have;

  • Origin: c.1225, from O.Fr. ypocrisie, from L.L. hypocrisis, from Gk. hypokrisis "acting on the stage, pretense," from hypokrinesthai "play a part, pretend," also "answer," from hypo- "under" + middle voice of krinein "to sift, decide" (see crisis). The sense evolution is from "separate gradually" to "answer" to "answer a fellow actor on stage" to "play a part." Thus hypocrite (c.1225) is ult. Gk. hypokrites "actor on the stage, pretender.";

  • Synonyms: affectation, bad faith*, bigotry, cant, casuistry, chewing gum, chicken, crocodile tears, deceit, deception, dishonesty, display, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, duplicity, false profession, falsity, fraud, glibness, goop, hooey, imposture, insincerity, irreverence, lie, lip service*, mockery, pharisaicalness, pharisaism, phoniness, pietism, pretense, quackery, sanctimoniousness, sanctimony, sham, soft soap, speciousness, spinach, sweet talk, two-facedness, unctuousness.
Source: Dictionary.com Unabridged