cynicism
noun
cynical disposition, character, or belief.
cynicism
1
British
/ ˈsɪnɪˌsɪzəm /
noun
-
the attitude or beliefs of a cynic
-
a cynical action, remark, idea, etc
Cynicism
2
British
/ ˈsɪnɪˌsɪzəm /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cynicism
Explanation
Cynicism is the feeling of distrust or that something isn't going to work out well. Some people feel cynicism when politicians make big promises. To pronounce cynicism, place the accent on the first syllable: "SIH-nuh-cih-zum." You might associate cynicism with sarcasm. Cynicism comes from believing that people are, at heart, selfish and untrustworthy. Sarcasm is the expression of negative feelings like cynicism, by expressing, for dramatic effect, the opposite of what is meant: "I'm quite sure that politician took that bribe by mistake. We all know how easy it is to overlook the sudden appearance of $2 million dollars in your checking account."
Vocabulary lists containing cynicism
Grade 10, List 1
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President Obama's Farewell Address
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1984
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Ms. Atkinson’s lighthearted novel,” Sam Sacks writes, “mines delicious humor from this mismatch of grizzled cynicism and national heritage.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
So I’m hoping there’s a combination of that with a greater cynicism about the A.I. companies, a greater realization that the real needs you.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
To forge better social connections, weigh whether shyness, cynicism or snap judgments of others hold you back.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
That kind of cynicism is cheap and facile and masquerades as intelligence and erudition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
As an organizer working in urban communities, Barack had told me, he’d contended most often with a deep weariness in people—especially black people—a cynicism bred from a thousand small disappointments over time.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Cynicism ahead of the Games is not a new thing, though.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Cynicism was called a shortcut to virtue because it involved no lengthy study or mental training such as that demanded by Plato.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
Cynicism can look like a higher form of patriotism, and vice versa.
From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2022
Cynicism, on the other hand, can be corrosive.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 17, 2022
The older Cynicism, which sprang from the simpler and more popular aspect of the Socratic teaching, had long disappeared.
From Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius by Samuel Dill
The girls' faces are fresh and untouched by the indulgences and cynicisms of city life.
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2014
Gold will be accused of twin cynicisms – of jumping on the Olympics bandwagon and of manipulating its audience's emotions.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 2, 2012
The sly digressions of a slanting bishop, the rapid cynicisms of a threatened queen, the stormy contraditions of the agile castles—these provided dialect in which the finest abstractions could be stated.
From Time Magazine Archive
America's discussion and debate, its hopes and cynicisms about the post-war world, moved last week to a new plane.
From Time Magazine Archive
I just wish you could have heard him fire up the other day, when Kenwick got off one of his cynicisms at the expense of Abraham Lincoln.
From A Venetian June by Anna Fuller
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
