cynicism
noun
cynical disposition, character, or belief.
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cynic spasm.
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:
Yet despite the cynicism, India has never quite abandoned the idea that voluntary suffering can move politics in ways speeches cannot.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
And there is so much cynicism in that play.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
The film isn’t arguing with cynicism; it’s presenting an alternative.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
“And it gives me so much inspiration to be a part of it, a movement powered not by cynicism or political insiders, but by ordinary people who still believe Los Angeles is worth fighting for.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 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 and skepticism are often confused with one another but they are actually quite different.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2024
Skepticism, Not Cynicism I have fought my whole life to not be cynical, but to be skeptical.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2022
Cynicism for other reasons is also a menace.
From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Park, Robert Ezra
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
My thought warms to him as a creature of intelligence, of straightforward and amusing cynicisms.
From A Thousand and One Afternoons in Chicago by Hecht, Ben
Definitions 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.
