Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Believing or showing the belief that people are motivated chiefly by base or selfish concerns; skeptical of the motives of others.
- adjective Selfishly or callously calculating.
- adjective Negative or pessimistic, as from world-weariness.
- adjective Expressing jaded or scornful skepticism or negativity.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Same as
cynic , 3. - Having or showing a disposition to disbelieve in or doubt the sincerity or value of social usages or of personal character, motives, or doings, and to express or intimate the disbelief or doubt by sarcasm, satire, sneers, or other in-direction; captious; carping; sarcastic; satirical: as, a cynical remark; a cynical smile.
- Synonyms Pessimistic, etc. (see
misanthropic ), morose, sarcastic, satirical, carping, censorious, snappish, waspish.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective of or relating to the belief that human actions are
motivated only or primarily bybase desires orselfishness . - adjective
skeptical of theintegrity ,sincerity , or motives of others. - adjective
bitterly orjadedly distrustful orcontemptuous ;mocking . - adjective showing
contempt for acceptedmoral standards by one's actions. - adjective medicine, rare like the actions of a
snarling dog .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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His argument is clear: any politician who charms and inspires the voters, who talks in generalities and abstractions, is engaging in what he calls the cynical politics of celebrity marketing, turning himself to into a product.
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Though Mesa admires the democratic principles on which the U.S. was founded, he opposes what he terms the cynical lack of application of those values, including the denial of due process to Guantanamo detainees under former President Bush.
Cuba Journal 2009
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When I'm met with people who wanna remain "cynical" and entertained while the US is slaughtering tens of thousands of people in Asia and ruining a good bit of their own landmass, I either get tongue-tied or abusive.
tourist trap 2005
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They're at risk of succumbing to the deluge of paid lies, voting for candidates who don't represent their values or staying home in cynical resignation.
Paul Loeb: Suppose Your Actions Swung the Election Paul Loeb 2010
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They're at risk of succumbing to the deluge of paid lies, voting for candidates who don't represent their values or staying home in cynical resignation.
Paul Loeb: Suppose Your Actions Swung the Election Paul Loeb 2010
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They encounter opposition from other army units, civilians cynical from a government of broken promises, uncaring aristocrats, and corrupt politicians.
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I realize that being cynical is a way of life for you … but perhaps in the future you will refrain from bastardizing the word “evil” to suit your political needs.
Will you be camped out at your local bookstore for your copy of “Going Rogue?” « Dating Jesus 2009
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They're at risk of succumbing to the deluge of paid lies, voting for candidates who don't represent their values or staying home in cynical resignation.
Paul Loeb: Suppose Your Actions Swung the Election Paul Loeb 2010
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Upbeat but cynical is a perfect description of her voice.
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They're at risk of succumbing to the deluge of paid lies, voting for candidates who don't represent their values or staying home in cynical resignation.
Paul Loeb: Suppose Your Actions Swung the Election Paul Loeb 2010
Kenaipaul commented on the word cynical
Antonyms of cynical are optimistic, positive, trusting
January 14, 2012