Spanish word

hipocresía

Pronunciation

IPA/ipokɾeˈsia/

Meaning

  • feminine nounhypocrisy

Example

¿Has visto tanta hipocresía antes?

Have you seen so much hypocrisy before?

Illustration for hipocresía (hypocrisy)

More examples

Su hipocresía quedó al descubierto.

His hypocrisy came to light.

Core concept

A person wearing a theatrical mask that hides a different face.

Common phrases

  • mostrar hipocresía

    show hypocrisy

  • actuar con hipocresía

    act hypocritically

  • hipocresía política

    political hypocrisy

Similar words

insinceridad: Masking one's true feelings or beliefs and lacking authentic sincerity.
fingimiento: Deliberately putting on a show of emotions or attitudes not actually felt.
falsedad: Stating things that are untrue or presenting fiction as fact.
doble moral: Changing moral expectations depending on the person or situation.

Definition in Spanish

Comportamiento de quien aparenta creer o sentir algo moralmente correcto pero no actúa conforme a ello.

Word origin

Comes from Greek ὑπόκρισις 'acting' via Latin and Medieval Latin into Spanish, where the meaning shifts from stage acting to pretending moral feelings.

Usage tips

  • Calling someone hipócrita is direct and often offensive, so Spanish speakers commonly soften it with phrases like 'me parece hipócrita' or 'suena hipócrita'.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word