Hypocrisy is pretense to being what one really is not, especially the pretense of being a better person than one really is. The word is a Greek word originally meaning "to give an answer." A hypocrite in classical Greek could be an interpreter of dreams, an orator, a reciter of poetry, or an actor. Originally a neutral term, "hypocrite" gained the negative connotation of pretense, or insincerity.
Hypocrites Are Pious in Public.