cynic
Use Cynic in a sentence
ɪk 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.
3.
a person who shows or expresses a bitterly or sneeringly cynical attitude.
adjective
4.
5.
( initial capital letter ) . Also, Cynical. of or pertaining to the Cynics or their doctrines.
6.
Medicine/Medical Now Rare. resembling the actions of a snarling dog.
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Cynic
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| the aggregate of manufacturing or technically productive enterprises in a particular field, often named after its principal product |
| the act or process of maintain a favorable temperature and environment to promote development |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To cynic
Collins
World English Dictionary
cynic (ˈsɪnɪk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a person who believes the worst about people or the outcome of events |
| —adj | |
| 2. | a less common word for cynical |
| 3. | astronomy of or relating to Sirius, the Dog Star |
| [C16: via Latin from Greek Kunikos, from kuōn dog] | |
| Cynic (ˈsɪnɪk) | |
| —n | |
| 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 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
cynic
mid-16c., from Gk. kynikos, lit. "dog-like," from kyon (gen. kynos) "dog." Supposedly from the sneering sarcasm of the philosophers, but more likely from Kynosarge "Grey Dog," name of the gymnasium in ancient Athens where the founder, Antisthenes (a pupil of Socrates), taught. Diogenes was the most
famous. Popular association even in ancient times was "dog-like." For nuances of usage of cynicism, see humor.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Don't call me a cynic, you sunny fresh-start enthusiasts.
Nor is he a cynic in the sense of being meanly hardened.
He is a satirist with a heart, a moralist with a whoopee cushion, a cynic who wants to believe.
The cynic might conclude that the problem is simply one of developers saving a buck.
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