cynic Hear it!

cynic definition

cynic (sinik)

noun

  1. a member of a school of ancient Greek philosophers who held virtue to be the only good and stressed independence from worldly needs and pleasures: they became critical of the rest of society and its material interests
  2. a cynical person

Etymology: L Cynicus < Gr kynikos, lit., doglike, as if < kyōn, dog (see hound), nickname of Diogenes, but prob. in allusion to the Kynosarges, a gymnasium where the Cynics taught (< kyōn + argos, lit., white dog, so named after an animal in a myth concerning Hercules, to whom the gymnasium was sacred)

adjective

  1. of or like the Cynics or their doctrines
  2. cynical

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

cynic Synonyms

cynic

n.

misanthrope, misogynist, misogamist, mocker, satirist, scoffer, pessimist, sarcastic person, caviler, sneerer, flouter, carper, critic, unbeliever, egoist, manhater, skeptic, doubter, questioner, detractor, negativist, nihilist, doubting Thomas*; see also critic 1.

Antonyms optimist, believer*, idealist.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

cynic Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • hear: The Craft of Writing Romance Jean Saunders Do I hear the cynics among you say that romance is dead?

Adjective modifier

  • twisted: Guaranteed to blow the wind out of your sails, Despair Posters are ideal for bitter and twisted cynics everywhere... .
cynic usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

cynic quotes

Cynic, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision seesthings as theyare, not as they ought to be.

-Bierce, Ambrose Gwinett

cynic quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/cynic>

APA Style

cynic. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/cynic

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