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• cynic
  cynic

  noun

  a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions and who disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view.
• Cynic
  Cynic

  noun

  a member of a sect founded by Antisthenes that scorned worldly things and held that self-control was the key to the only good

cynic

American  

[sin-ik] / ˈsɪn ɪk /

noun

• cynics
  plural

1. a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions and who disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view.

   Synonyms:

   misanthrope, pessimist, skeptic

2. (initial capital letter) one of a sect of Greek philosophers, 4th century b.c., who advocated the doctrines that virtue is the only good, that the essence of virtue is self-control, and that surrender to any external influence is beneath human dignity.

3. a person who shows or expresses a bitterly or sneeringly cynical attitude.

   Synonyms:

   misanthrope, pessimist, skeptic

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adjective

1. cynical.

2. (initial capital letter) Also Cynical. of or relating to the Cynics or their doctrines.

3. Medicine/Medical Now Rare. resembling the actions of a snarling dog.

cynic ¹ British  

/ ˈsɪnɪk /

noun

1. a person who believes the worst about people or the outcome of events

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adjective

1. a less common word for cynical

2. astronomy of or relating to Sirius, the Dog Star

Cynic ² British  

/ ˈsɪnɪk /

noun

1. a member of a sect founded by Antisthenes that scorned worldly things and held that self-control was the key to the only good

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anticynic
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cynics
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cynic

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin Cynicus, from Greek Kynikós “Cynic,” literally, “doglike, currish,” equivalent to kyn-, stem of kýōn “dog” + -ikos -ic ( def. )

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Explanation

A cynic is someone who believes that humans are selfish and that they only do something if it will benefit themselves. Cynics criticize acts of kindness and will probably tease you if you help an old lady cross the street. Maybe you know a cynic or two. They like to criticize people and situations, especially if they think there’s a deeper motivation behind the more obvious one. Let’s say a friend borrows your car, and then he shows up later covered in grease and offers you a lollipop. If you’re a cynic, you’d suspect that your friend crashed your car and is trying to distract you with the delicious and sweet lollipop. And you might be right.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cynic Cynic cynics

The cynic in me knows that, as surely as no Gutenberg protégé engraved this stationery, the happy accident of the extras befalls every customer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Even to a cynic like me, the results were worse than expected.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

"The cynic in me says this is what always happens to Mexico. We're good, but we just can never truly compete against the elite of the world," he says.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

“Of course, a director like Spielberg would spend his old age making stale hopecore sci-fi,” a cynic might argue.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

Luckily, Flora was a cynic and didn’t care whether her mother loved her or not.

From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo

He found the Cynic sunning himself beside his ceramic home and offered to grant the man any favor or fulfill any request.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025

The first, titled "The Cynic," came out in 2014, on the eve of his ascension to Senate majority leader.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2024

Cynic, realist, whatever: when I stood around chatting with my free drink, surrounded by optimism, I harbored some reservations about the usefulness of analog astronautics and the motivations of the participants.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 10, 2023

The Cynic replied “stop standing in my sunbeam.”

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020

“When Diogenes the Cynic heard, in a debate, that there was no such thing as change nor motion, he refuted the charge by walking about the stage during his opponent’s speech, waggling his legs.”

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Yet within 48 hours of the long-awaited announcement, even some of those still excited by the contest had been turned into cynics.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

“Some cynics will say that we planned the whole thing,” said Donald Keough, president of Coca-Cola at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Pouliot has seen cynics walk into L’Belle-Tividad’s readings or classes and walk away as believers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025

When the cynics start making money, it’s time to pay attention.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2025

Martin had once seen the moon as hopeful, too, but after he was beaten down by cynics the moon was dark for him.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

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Related Words

• detractor
• doubter
• pessimist
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