hə̇ˈpäkrəsē, -si sometimes hīˈ- noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English ipocrisie, from Old French ypocrisie, from Late Latin hypocrisis, from Greek hypokrisis act of playing a part on the stage, hypocrisy, outward show, from hypokrinesthai to answer, play a part on the stage, act, pretend, from hypo- + krinesthai to dispute, krinein to decide, judge — more at certain
1. : the act or practice of pretending to be what one is not or to have principles or beliefs that one does not have
the passing stranger who took such a vitriolic joy in exposing their pretensions and their hypocrisy — Van Wyck Brooks
especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion
may admit that our conventional morality often serves as a cover for hypocrisy and selfishness — Lucius Garvin
2. : an act or instance of hypocrisy
the little hypocrisies which are so frequently the rule rather than the exception in human contacts — Erle Stanley Gardner