Definition of: hypocrisy

(hi·pok′rə·sē) noun plural ·sies
The feigning to be what one is not; extreme insincerity; dissimulation. [<OF ypocrisie <L hypocrisis <Gk. hypokrisis acting a part, feigning <hypo- under + krinein decide] Synonyms: affectation, cant, dissimulation, formalism, pharisaism, pietism, pretense, sanctimoniousness, sanctimony, sham. Pretense (L. praetendo) primarily signifies the holding something forward as having certain rights or claims, whether truly or falsely; in the good sense, it is now rarely used except with a negative; as, There can be no pretense that this is due; a false pretense implies the possibility of a true pretense; but, alone and unlimited, pretense commonly signifies the offering of something for what it is not. Hypocrisy is the false pretense of moral excellence, either as a cover for actual wrong, or for the sake of the credit and advantage attaching to virtue. Cant (L. cantus, a song), primarily the singsong iteration of the language of any party, school, or sect, denotes the mechanical and pretentious use of religious phraseology, without corresponding feeling or character; sanctimoniousness is the assumption of a saintly manner without a saintly character. Affectation is in matters of intellect, taste, etc., much what hypocrisy is in morals and religion: affectation might be termed petty hypocrisy. Compare DECEPTION. Antonyms: candor, frankness, genuineness, honesty, ingenuousness, openness, sincerity, transparency, truth, truthfulness.