hypocrisy
n. uncountablen. the behavior of someone who says they have certain beliefs or standards, but then acts in a way that goes against them. It is like telling people not to lie while you are lying yourself.
n. the practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case. Often involves a discrepancy between public moral pronouncements and private behavior.
It is pure hypocrisy for him to complain about lateness.
The politician faced accusations of hypocrisy after he was caught breaking the very lockdown rules he had helped create.
Critics were quick to point out the hypocrisy of the corporation's environmental campaign, noting that its primary manufacturing plants continued to bypass local emissions regulations.
From hypo- + Ancient Greek κρί(σις) (krí(sis)) + -isy. From Middle English ipocrisie, from Old French ypocrisie, from Late Latin hypocrisis, from Ancient Greek ὑπόκρισις (hupókrisis, “answer, stage acting, pretense”), from ὑποκρίνομαι (hupokrínomai, “I answer (a fellow actor on stage), play a part, dissemble, feign”), from ὑπό (hupó, “under, equivalent of the modern "hypo-" prefix”) + the middle voice of κρίνω (krínō, “I separate, judge, decide”) + -isy. Displaced native Old English līċettung.
Often used with the preposition 'of' to identify the source or 'to' when describing the act.