Word.ws English Dictionary

pot, kettle, black

pot, kettle, black phrase: used to describe or call out someone who accuses another person of a fault that applies equally to them.

Phrase

pot, kettle, black

  1. (Internet, derogatory) Used to describe or call out someone who accuses another person of a fault that applies equally to them.
    • Mel C was quickly branded a “hypocrite” by some fans online, with one comment reading: “Didn’t you just criticise Little Mix for dressing ‘provocatively’? A bit hypocritical don’t ya think?!!” ¶ Another fan added: “Pretty sure you were quick to criticise Little Mix on their ‘provocative’ outfits...2016 December 7, Luke Morgan Britton, “Spice Girls’ Mel C labelled a ‘hypocrite’ after posting topless photo”, in NME, archived from the original on 13 Mar 2017
    Synonyms:
    PKB

Synonyms of pot, kettle, black

Forms of pot, kettle, black

alternative formpot kettle black
alternative formpot/kettle/black
alternative formpot-kettle-black

Origin of pot, kettle, black

From pot calling the kettle black.

Questions about pot, kettle, black

What does pot, kettle, black mean?
Pot, kettle, black means used to describe or call out someone who accuses another person of a fault that applies equally to them.
What part of speech is pot, kettle, black?
Pot, kettle, black is a phrase.

Words near pot, kettle, black in the dictionary

  1. pot stirrer
  2. pot stirrers
  3. pot up
  4. pot wheel
  5. pot wheels
  6. pot, kettle, black
  7. pot, meet kettle
  8. pot-au-feu
  9. pot-au-feus
  10. pot-bellied
  11. pot-bellied pig

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: pot, kettle, black (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “pot, kettle, black.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/pot%2C_kettle%2C_black. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.