cynic
[ sin-ik ]
/ ˈsɪn ɪk /
noun
a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions and who disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view.
(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.
a person who shows or expresses a bitterly or sneeringly cynical attitude.
adjective
(initial capital letter) Also Cynical.
of or relating to the Cynics or their doctrines.
Medicine/Medical Now Rare.
resembling the actions of a snarling dog.
Origin of cynic
1540–50; < Latin
Cynicus < Greek
Kynikós Cynic, literally, doglike, currish, equivalent to
kyn- (stem of
kýōn) dog +
-ikos
-ic
OTHER WORDS FROM cynic
an·ti·cyn·ic, noun, adjectiveWords nearby cynic
cymru,
cymry,
cynanche,
cynewulf,
cynghanedd,
cynic,
cynic spasm,
cynical,
cynicism,
cyno-,
cynocephaly
Example sentences from the Web for cynic
British Dictionary definitions for cynic (1 of 2)
cynic
/ (ˈsɪnɪk) /
noun
a person who believes the worst about people or the outcome of events
adjective
a less common word for cynical
astronomy
of or relating to Sirius, the Dog Star
Word Origin for cynic
C16: via Latin from Greek
Kunikos, from
kuōn dog
British Dictionary definitions for cynic (2 of 2)
Cynic
/ (ˈsɪnɪk) /
noun
a member of a sect founded by Antisthenes that scorned worldly things and held that self-control was the key to the only good