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In my self-evaluation, I want to convey the idea of

I am a person down to earth and more sincere than hypocrite.

But I am not sure if "more sincere than hypocrite" is awkward in pure language perspective?

Also I don't want people to think that by "more sincere than hypocrite" I imply someone among the evaluators is hypocrite, which is in fact true and I don't dare to speak out. So I wonder if "more sincere than hypocrite" is provocative and if yes, if you have some better altervatives?

In summary, is "more sincere than hypocrite" perfectly fine? Thanks and regards!

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My belief is that no one can be sincere all the time. While I admit I can be hypocrite sometimes, I know it is not good and I am sincere more often or at least try to. Is it good in self-evaluation? – Tim Jan 17 '12 at 16:58
Closers: Please put yourself in others' shoes. Not a question to you but may be to others. – Tim Jan 17 '12 at 17:11
The entire sentence is awkward; and sincere already means "not hypocritical." Simply say, "I am down to earth and genuine." – Gnawme Jan 17 '12 at 17:59
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"More sincere than a hypocrite" is a lovely example of damning with faint praise. It is emphatically not something I would suggest putting on a self-evaluation. – Marthaª Jan 17 '12 at 18:00
Tim, the "not a real question" close reason means that we can't tell what you're asking, not that the question isn't interesting. (Since we can't tell what the question is, we obviously can't tell whether it's interesting.) – Marthaª Jan 17 '12 at 18:02
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closed as not a real question by Will Hunting, Robusto, aedia λ, jwpat7, Marthaª Jan 17 '12 at 18:00

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

2 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

Grammatically, one should say:

more sincere than hypocrit ical.

or

more sincere than a hypocrite.

(but the first is better because the second is ambiguous).

Semantically, it is fine. It says that you are neither purely sincere nor purely hypocritical, but somewhere in between and leaning towards the sincerity side.

Pragmatically though, it is very strange. One would, in normal discourse, be considered either usually sincere or usually a hypocrite. And mentioning the other doesn't really add nuance. In fact it comes out as saying a very complex point, namely that people are different mixes of both sincerity and hypocrisy, every one with their own percentage of each or position along a scale. Most people don't consider themselves in any way hypocrites and wouldn't want to have others think of themselves in that way in the slightest. Knowingly honest (!) about the possiblity of being hypocritical just makes people think that you are hypocritical.

And frankly, claiming that one is sincere is like saying that 'I am not a crook'; it brings it into doubt (especially for 'sincerity'; how does one justify a statement like that, since it is about the truthfulness of ones words?).

And then remarking that there is the possibility of hypocrisy brings it much more into doubt.

The result of such a statement is that the listener wonders when exactly you are your hypocritical self, and so would distrust you most of the time (a listener would not take it to mean anything about them; they'd be wondering all about you).

As a result, yes, this is a fairly awkward statement to make of oneself. Though you might consider it an honest portrayal, it is a bit too honest. It is very similar to 'I tell the truth more often than not', which is very questionable to say (however accurate it might be).

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Agree that bringing up the opposite tends to weaken the statement. You wouldn't say, "I am a skilled [whatever] and not incompetent", or "I am honest and rarely lie or cheat". Just make the positive statement and leave it at that. Everyone knows that you are not perfect. – Jay Jan 17 '12 at 19:09
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This suddenly reminds me of a movie I once saw where a character is applying for a job or something and the interviewer asks, "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?" And he replies, "Convicted? No, never convicted. No." – Jay Jan 17 '12 at 19:11
@Jay: What is about his reply? – Tim Jan 17 '12 at 19:32
@Jay: Yes, to both your comments. I my have been too subtle, but I"m also saying that making a claim like 'I am sincere' alone is self-negating, without the even more incriminating 'and more often than hypocritical'. – Mitch Jan 17 '12 at 19:33
@Mitch: "making a claim like 'I am sincere' alone is self-negating." So is " I am down-to-earth and genuine"? – Tim Jan 17 '12 at 19:36
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up vote 5 down vote

"Hypocrite" is not an adjective like "sincere". It is a noun.

I am not a hypocrite

The adjective is "hypocritical"

I am not hypocritical

I am sincere and not hypocritical

I don't think anyone can say whether that's provocative, without knowing the exact circumstances in detail. If I read it, however, I would wonder why you felt a need comment on your lack of hypocrisy.

However, note that sincerity and hypocrisy are not mutually exclusive. For example, I might be sincere in my opposition to other people smoking, while hypocritically failing to give up smoking myself.

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The need is that I don't know what others think of me, but likely I am a person not being understood sometimes or likely often. "more sincere than hypocrite" is a way to tell them I am really who they see I am, not hiding many things, and better than those hypocrites. – Tim Jan 17 '12 at 17:09
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Also, you shouldn not say "I am a person down to earth", but "I am a down-to-earth person". In English we put adjectives before the noun, and "down to earth" is functioning as a noun in this sentence. – Jay Jan 17 '12 at 19:03
Oops, meant to say, "down to earth is functioning as an adjective in this sentence". Sorry. – Jay Jan 18 '12 at 16:43

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