Cynic Definition
A person whose outlook is scornfully negative.
A member of a sect of ancient Greek philosophers who believed virtue to be the only good and self-control to be the only means of achieving virtue.
Other Word Forms of Cynic
Noun
Origin of Cynic
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From Middle English cynike, cynicke, from Middle French cinicque, from Latin cynicus, from Ancient Greek κυνικός (kynikós), originally derived from the portico in Athens called Κυνόσαργες (Kunosarges), the earliest home of the Cynic school, later reinterpreted as a derivation of κύων (kúōn, “dog”), in a contemptuous allusion to the uncouth and aggressive manners adopted by the members of the school.
From Wiktionary
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Originated 1540–50 from Latin Cynicus (cynic philosopher), from Ancient Greek Κυνικός (Kynikós) (literally doglike, currish), from κύων (dog) + -ικός; see Proto-Indo-European *kwon-.
From Wiktionary
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Latin cynicus Cynic philosopher from Greek kunikos from kuōn kun- dog kwon- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
The word may have first been applied to Cynics because of the nickname κύων kuōn (dog) given to Diogenes of Sinope, the prototypical Cynic.
From Wiktionary
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