cynicism
noun
cynical disposition, character, or belief.
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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:
Then a cynicism came over him: "Being from where we're from, you're sort of sceptical all the time, so I didn't really believe it."
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 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
Her reflections were hopeful, unifying and rooted in the idea that young people should rise above cynicism and help repair the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Premo had a good point, I thought, but with the blossoming cynicism of a few weeks in Sing Sing’s blocks, I could see he’d understated his case.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Cynicism ahead of the Games is not a new thing, though.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Appeared in the June 16, 2026, print edition as 'Trump, Cynicism and the Deal'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Cynicism and skepticism are often confused with one another but they are actually quite different.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2024
Cynicism abounds as investment companies relabel existing funds with vague sustainability markers and then raise the fees they charge.
From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2023
He reached the logical conclusion of Cynicism in attaching no real importance to scientific data.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 10 "David, St" to "Demidov" by Various
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
This lackey takes a healthy enough view of the matter, for all his cynicisms.
From The Malady of the Century by Nordau, Max Simon
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.
