c. 1200, ipocrisie, from Old French ypocrisie, from Late Latin hypocrisis, from Greek hypokrisis "acting on the stage, pretense," from hypokrinesthai "play a part, pretend," also "answer," from hypo- "under" (see sub-) + middle voice of krinein "to sift, decide" (see crisis). The sense evolution in Attic Greek is from "separate gradually" to "answer" to "answer a fellow actor on stage" to "play a part." The h- was restored in English 16c.
Hypocrisy is the art of affecting qualities for the purpose of pretending to an undeserved virtue. Because individuals and institutions and societies most often live down to the suspicions about them, hypocrisy and its accompanying equivocations underpin the conduct of life. Imagine how frightful truth unvarnished would be. [Benjamin F. Martin, "France in 1938," 2005]
实用例句
1. The baron became increasingly heated over the hypocrisy of it all.
男爵对整件事的虚伪感到越来越生气。
来自柯林斯例句
2. They left themselves wide open to accusations of double standards and hypocrisy.
他们使自己陷于被人指责搞双重标准和虚伪不实的境地。
来自柯林斯例句
3. For them to attack the Liberals for racism is nauseating hypocrisy.
他们攻击自由党搞种族歧视是令人作呕的虚伪行径。
来自柯林斯例句
4. I challenged him on the hypocrisy of his political attitudes.
我就他虚伪的政治观点质问他。
来自柯林斯例句
5. You'll have little patience with the hypocrisy and double standards you encounter.
