cynic

American  

[sin-ik] / ˈsɪn ɪk /

noun

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

• anticynic noun

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. )

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, a cynic is tempted to ask: What would you expect?

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Mr. Riley’s column reminds me of Oscar Wilde’s definition of a cynic: “A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

You don't have to be a cynic to believe Campbell got what he came for.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026

A cynic might argue that celebrities don’t want film and moviegoing as we know them to die because they don’t want to lose their source of income, and maybe that’s true for some.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

“You, a self-professed cynic, are positing that the squirrel is a superhero.”

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

Related Words

• detractor
• doubter
• pessimist
• skeptic