Behaving in a way that contradicts one's stated beliefs or moral standards; pretending to have virtues or principles that one does not actually possess. It describes false righteousness.
From Greek 'hypokrites,' meaning 'stage actor,' derived from 'hypo-' (under) and 'krinein' (to judge or decide). The word originally described actors who spoke from behind masks, evolving to mean anyone who puts on a false moral performance.
Think of actors wearing masks (hypo-critical) - they're acting one way while being another underneath! This behavior word frequently appears in passages about politics, morality, or character analysis.
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