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Prepositions after adjectives

hypocritical with different prepositions

Hypocritical of is the main pattern when judging someone's behaviour. Hypocritical about and hypocritical to are also possible in specific meanings.

Quick answer

Most natural combinations

Use hypocritical of someone to describe behaviour that is inconsistent or insincere. Hypocritical about can describe a topic. Hypocritical to someone is possible when describing behaviour toward a person.

It was hypocritical of him to complain about noise.
She is hypocritical about environmental issues.
They were hypocritical to their supporters.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
hypocritical of + person + to infinitive

Judging inconsistent behaviour

Hypocritical of someone to do something is the most common structure.

It was hypocritical of her to ignore the rules.
That seems hypocritical of them to criticise others.
2
hypocritical about + topic

Being inconsistent about an issue

Hypocritical about introduces the subject where inconsistency appears.

He is hypocritical about health advice.
The company was hypocritical about privacy concerns.
3
hypocritical to + person

Describing behaviour toward someone

Hypocritical to focuses on treatment of another person or group.

She felt they were hypocritical to loyal employees.
It is hypocritical to your audience to hide the facts.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
hypocritical of
It was hypocritical of him to lie.
judging someone's inconsistent behaviour
hypocritical about
She is hypocritical about money.
inconsistent regarding a topic
hypocritical to
They were hypocritical to their voters.
acting insincerely toward someone
hypocritical in
He was hypocritical in his public statements.
in introduces a context, not a fixed adjective pattern
hypocritical for
Hypocritical for is not a standard adjective-preposition pattern.
for is generally not used directly after hypocritical

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using hypocritical for

English normally uses of or about with hypocritical.

✕ It was hypocritical for him to complain. ✓ It was hypocritical of him to complain.

Forgetting the infinitive after hypocritical of

The structure usually includes to plus verb.

✕ It was hypocritical of her. ✓ It was hypocritical of her to criticise them.

Confusing hypocritical about and hypocritical of

About introduces a topic; of introduces the person judged.

✕ She is hypocritical of climate change. ✓ She is hypocritical about climate change.

Treating in as the main pattern

In usually adds context rather than forming a fixed combination.

✕ They are hypocritical in taxes. ✓ They are hypocritical about taxes.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. It was hypocritical ___ him to break the rule.
2. She is hypocritical ___ social media use.
3. They were hypocritical ___ their own staff.

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Frequently asked questions

Is hypocritical of correct?

Yes. It is the most common pattern for judging someone's behaviour.

Can I say hypocritical about?

Yes. It is used for topics or issues where someone behaves inconsistently.

Is hypocritical for natural English?

No. Modern English normally uses hypocritical of, not hypocritical for.

halfway-through-between-up-down, to "handmade by" or "handmade in"? "hands-on with" or "hands-on in"? "handy for" or "handy in"? "happy with", "happy about" or "happy for"? hard for, on, at, of or in? harmful to, for, in, by or of? "harmless from" or "harmless to"? harsh on, in, for, with or to? "hateful to", "hateful towards" or "hateful of"? "hazardous to" or "hazardous for"? "head-to-head with" or "head-to-head in"?

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