hypocrisy
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hypocrisy
Behavior in which someone pretends to have moral values or feelings that they do not actually possess or act according to.
Es ist pure Heuchelei, Wasser zu predigen und Wein zu trinken.
It is pure hypocrisy to preach water and drink wine.
'Heuchelei' (hypocrisy) belongs to a word family with the verb 'heucheln' (to pretend feelings or virtues) and the adjective 'heuchlerisch' (hypocritical). All three words describe dishonest, pretended behavior.
Er heuchelt Interesse, aber in Wirklichkeit ist es ihm egal.
He pretends to be interested, but in reality he doesn't care.
The ending '-ei' is often used in German to form nouns that describe an activity seen as negative or pejorative. It gives the word a critical or reproachful tone.
Seine ständigen Ausreden sind doch eine einzige Angeberei.
His constant excuses are just pure showing off.
The word is often intensified with adjectives such as 'rein' (sheer) or 'pur' (pure) to emphasize the falseness. A typical phrase is: 'Das ist doch die reinste Heuchelei!' (That is sheer hypocrisy!).
Seine Sorge um die Umwelt ist pure Heuchelei, denn er fliegt ständig.
His concern for the environment is pure hypocrisy, since he flies all the time.
morality / morale
'die Moral' and 'die Heuchelei' both have to do with values and proper behavior, but they do not mean the same thing. 'die Moral' can neutrally describe the values and rules according to which people are expected to act. 'die Heuchelei' is clearly negative: someone acts as if they had high moral values, but does not follow them themselves. Learners may confuse the words because hypocrisy often talks about morality or uses morality. The important point is: morality can be meant sincerely; hypocrisy is only pretended morality.
Seine ständige Kritik an anderen wirkt wie Heuchelei, weil er selbst genauso handelt.
His constant criticism of others comes across as hypocrisy because he acts the same way himself.
Im Unterricht sprechen wir über Moral und Verantwortung im Alltag.
In class, we talk about morality and responsibility in everyday life.