lip-good

lip-good

A politician gives a lip-good promise to the crowd.

Definition
  1. Adjective:
    • Hypocritical or insincere: "lip-good" describes someone who appears virtuous or kind in speech but lacks genuine moral integrity or good intentions. It specifically refers to words that are superficially kind or moral but are not backed by true feelings or actions.
Usage Examples
  • Adjective:
    • Her lip-good promises of help vanished as soon as she left the room. (Her promises sounded good but were insincere.)
    • The politician's lip-good concern for the poor was exposed when he cut welfare funding. (His expressed worry was hypocritical and false.)
Advanced Usage

  • "lip-good piety": a phrase emphasizing religious or moral pretence.

    • The congregation grew tired of the pastor's lip-good piety during the scandal. (His outward show of holiness was insincere.)

  • "lip-good friendship": a relationship that appears friendly but is not genuine.

    • He maintained a lip-good friendship with his rival, smiling in public while plotting against him. (The friendship was only for appearance.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Lip service (n): verbal expression of agreement or loyalty that is not sincere.

    • The company paid lip service to environmentalism but continued to pollute. (They pretended to care without real action.)

  • Lip-deep (adj): only on the surface; not deep or genuine.

    • His lip-deep apologies did not convince anyone. (His apologies were shallow and insincere.)
Synonyms
  • Hypocritical: pretending to have virtues, moral beliefs, or principles that one does not actually possess.
  • Insincere: not expressing genuine feelings; false.
  • Two-faced: deceitful; acting one way in public and another in private.
Related Idioms

  • All talk and no action: refers to someone who makes promises but never follows through.

    • He is all talk and no action — his lip-good words mean nothing. (He speaks well but does nothing.)

  • Speak with forked tongue: to say one thing while meaning another; to be deceitful.

    • The diplomat spoke with forked tongue, offering lip-good peace while arming rebels. (He was dishonest about his intentions.)