Definition of CYNICAL (original) (raw)
1
: having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic: such as
a
: contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives
… those cynical men who say that democracy cannot be honest and efficient.—
Franklin D. Roosevelt
b
: based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest
a cynical ploy to win votes
Did you know?
Cynical has a certain amount of dog in its ancestry, although not in the way that you might think. In ancient Greece, the followers of the philosopher Antisthenes were referred to as kynikos (“doglike”); when cynical was first used in English, it often was in reference to this group of philosophers.
A number of other English words have a canine history as well: harass can be traced to a word in Middle French (harer) meaning “to set a dog on;” sarcasm comes from a Greek word (sarkazein) which means “to tear flesh like dogs;” and even the word for a completely different animal, the canary, comes from a word for dog (the explanation for this seeming incongruity is that the bird comes from the Canary Islands, the name of which comes from the Latin for “dog islands,” Canariae insulae).
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for cynical
cynical about politicians' motives
misanthropic suggests a rooted distrust and dislike of human beings and their society.
a solitary and misanthropic artist
pessimistic implies having a gloomy, distrustful view of life.
pessimistic about the future
Examples of cynical in a Sentence
… if more and more people out there are willing to kill themselves in order to kill us, we've got to give the poor and cynical of the world something positive to believe in. —Robert Reich, Prospect, February 2003 When "Roots" premiered on the ABC network in 1977, my generation of black academics and activists was cynical and outraged. We felt the horrors of slavery were rendered flat and lifeless by the miniseries … —Houston A. Baker, Jr., Vibe, February 2002 It was fear of the Other, the poor, the dying—or to evoke a word with biblical authority—the pestilential. And so I could no longer be cynical about her motives. —Bharati Mukherjee, Time, 14 June 1999 … was quiet spoken, but he had a cynical arch to his brows, as though he were repressing an urge to sneer. —Joseph Wambaugh, The Blooding, 1989
Cynical people say there is no such thing as true love. People are so cynical nowadays. She's become more cynical in her old age. Some people regard the governor's visit to the hospital as a cynical attempt to win votes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Coming-of-age teen comedies were never quite as wonderfully cynical before this movie about four teenage girls whose lives are upended by the arrival of a new kid, played by Christian Slater. —Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025 Without any real prospect of serious concessions from Western states, the Taliban became cynical about ever gaining legitimacy on the world stage. —Delaney Simon, Foreign Affairs, 2 Jan. 2025 The podcast from Wondery and Dr. Seuss Enterprises features Saturday Night Live cast member James Austin Johnson as the cynical green character. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 27 Dec. 2024 Bruno Fernandes would make a cynical foul to stop the resultant Plzen counter-attack, and from the free-kick after that Andre Onana would collide and hurt Casemiro. —Carl Anka, The Athletic, 13 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cynical 
Word History
First Known Use
1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of cynical was in 1574
Dictionary Entries Near cynical
Cite this Entry
“Cynical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cynical. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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Last Updated: 12 Jan 2025 - Updated example sentences
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