[hip-uh-krit] 
| 1. | a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs. |
| 2. | a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements. |
s a stage actor, hence one who pretends to be what he is not, equiv. to hypokr
(nesthai) (see hypocrisy ) + -tēs agent suffix
| hyp·o·crit·i·cal (hĭp'ə-krĭt'ĭ-kəl) adj.
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