noun

cynic

SIH-nihk

noun

A person who habitually expects the worst of people and doubts their sincerity or motives.

"He's such a cynic that he assumes every gift comes with strings attached."

"The old cynic in the newsroom never trusted a politician's promise."

name

A member of an ancient Greek school of philosophy that valued virtue and self-control above material comfort.

"The Cynics rejected wealth and social convention in favour of a simple life."

How to Use Cynic

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomeone who distrusts other people's good intentions and expects selfishness or bad outcomes.

Common mistake

A cynic doubts people's motives (thinks everyone is secretly selfish); a skeptic doubts claims or evidence (needs proof before believing something). The two overlap but aren't the same.

Easily confused with

skeptic →

Word Forms

more cynic comparative, cynics plural, Cynics plural, most cynic superlative

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Fill the Gap

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He's such a _____ that he assumes every gift comes with strings attached.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek kunikos, traditionally linked to kuon ("dog") because the early Cynic philosophers were mocked for their blunt, unrefined manners — though it may originally have come from the name of the gymnasium where the school first met.