noun
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the attitude or beliefs of a cynic
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a cynical action, remark, idea, etc
noun
Other Word Forms
- anticynicism noun
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.
I left that and struggled for years with the standard outcomes of intense combat service mixed with a total disillusionment and cynicism around the wars that I fought in.
From Slate • Mar. 4, 2026
So Henry converted, and with classic French cynicism is famously reported to have said, “Paris is well worth a Mass.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
Van Der Beek wades through all of the screenplay’s cynicism in search of something deeper and more complicated — something human.
From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026
For we did not foresee then a world in which trust in traditional sources of news and information would be corroded by a rising cynicism, turbo-charged by social media and, increasingly now, AI.
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026
There is no greater antidote to the public cynicism about the press than seeing the labor and thought and scrupulous care that go into producing a masterful piece of journalism.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
