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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

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. )

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 thinks, 'Are they are really concerned, or are they trying to prove which model is the most awesome?'"

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 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

“So much for being a cynic about love,” I go.

From "The Misfits" by James Howe

One version of a well-known story about Diogenes tells of how the Cynic went through the streets of Athens holding a lamp, searching for an honest person.

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

“I have as good a right to make a Word, he insisted, “as that Pedant Bigot Cynic and Monk.”

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

He has scored 146 goals for his country, a record in men's international football - but recently cynics have suggested he does not offer much else.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Turner said in a speech at the launch that the network was meant “to create a positive force in a world where cynics abound.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

Yet at 26, she has weathered countless storms — whether facing incessant body-shaming online, or defending her pop music pivot from cynics in the comments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2026

They say it’s better to be lucky than to be smart, and cynics may now wonder which word is a better fit for Bisignano.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2025

Here is the answer to the cynics who give the motion picture no place in the family arts .

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• detractor
• doubter
• pessimist
• skeptic