hypocrisy

Definitions

hypo- (under) + krinein (to judge / perform) = Greek hypokrisis, 'acting a part.' A hypokritēs was an actor — one who spoke from under a stage mask, playing someone he wasn't. Pretending to be a character you're not became pretending to virtues you don't have, giving the modern sense: a gap between professed beliefs and real behavior.

Why It Means This

The clue is the theatre. In ancient Greek drama, actors wore masks and 'answered' in dialogue from beneath them — they were hypokritai, performers. To the Greeks, pretending on stage and pretending in life were the same word. Christianity later sharpened it into a moral charge: someone who wears the mask of virtue while living otherwise. So whenever you see hypocrisy, picture an actor's mask covering a different face.

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Critics accused the senator of hypocrisy for preaching thrift while spending lavishly.

• 2.

  There is a glaring hypocrisy in punishing others for what you do yourself.