cynic

[ sin-ik ]
See synonyms for cynic on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions and who disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view.

  2. (initial capital letter) one of a sect of Greek philosophers, 4th century b.c., who advocated the doctrines that virtue is the only good, that the essence of virtue is self-control, and that surrender to any external influence is beneath human dignity.

  1. a person who shows or expresses a bitterly or sneeringly cynical attitude.

adjective
  1. (initial capital letter)Also Cynical. of or relating to the Cynics or their doctrines.

  1. Medicine/Medical Now Rare. resembling the actions of a snarling dog.

Origin of cynic

1
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin Cynicus, from Greek Kynikós “Cynic,” literally, “doglike, currish,” equivalent to kyn-, stem of kýōn “dog” + -ikos -ic

Other words for cynic

Other words from cynic

  • an·ti·cyn·ic, noun, adjective

Words that may be confused with cynic

Words Nearby cynic

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How to use cynic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cynic (1 of 2)

cynic

/ (ˈsɪnɪk) /


noun
  1. a person who believes the worst about people or the outcome of events

adjective
  1. a less common word for cynical

  2. astronomy of or relating to Sirius, the Dog Star

Origin of cynic

1
C16: via Latin from Greek Kunikos, from kuōn dog

British Dictionary definitions for Cynic (2 of 2)

Cynic

/ (ˈsɪnɪk) /


noun
  1. a member of a sect founded by Antisthenes that scorned worldly things and held that self-control was the key to the only good

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012