cynical
adjective
cyn·i·cal
| \ ˈsi-ni-kəl
\
\
Definition of cynical
1
: having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic: such as
a
: contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives
… those cynical men who say that democracy cannot be honest and efficient.— Franklin D. Roosevelt
b
: based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest
a cynical ploy to win votes
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Other Words from cynical
cynically
\ ˈsi-ni-k(ə-)lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
Examples of cynical in a Sentence
… if more and more people out there are willing to kill themselves in order to kill us, we've got to give the poor and cynical of the world something positive to believe in.
— Robert Reich, Prospect, February 2003
When "Roots" premiered on the ABC network in 1977, my generation of black academics and activists was cynical and outraged. We felt the horrors of slavery were rendered flat and lifeless by the miniseries …
— Houston A. Baker, Jr., Vibe, February 2002
It was fear of the Other, the poor, the dying—or to evoke a word with biblical authority—the pestilential. And so I could no longer be cynical about her motives.
— Bharati Mukherjee, Time, 14 June 1999
… was quiet spoken, but he had a cynical arch to his brows, as though he were repressing an urge to sneer.
— Joseph Wambaugh, The Blooding, 1989
Cynical people say there is no such thing as true love.
People are so cynical nowadays.
She's become more cynical in her old age.
Some people regard the governor's visit to the hospital as a cynical attempt to win votes.
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Recent Examples on the Web
This cynical, Manichean take on history, like cultural appropriation, slavery reparations, intersectionality, and other expressions of identity politics, serve only to reinforce divisions. — Krista Kafer, The Denver Post, "Kafer: A lesson on identity politics from the Dominican Republic," 5 Sep. 2019 Yet the outrage marshaled by the media, in their role as Democratic handmaidens, is deeply cynical, designed to separate Trump from suburban voters in 2020. — John Kass, Twin Cities, "John Kass: Race card loses its sting as it’s overused," 29 July 2019 Flint’s residents are a bit more cynical about the continuing national attention. — Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press, "Flint becomes destination for presidential candidates and their messages," 15 July 2019 As a result, she is guarded, cynical and sometimes comes across as aloof when dealing with strangers in settings outside her comfort zone. — Leila Atassi, cleveland.com, "Could the Lawrence School be King Korper’s key to overcoming dyslexia?: A Greater Cleveland," 17 July 2019 Every move is simultaneously cynical and morally oblivious. — Dale Peck, The New Republic, "My Mayor Pete Problem," 12 July 2019 And yes, their effort is almost comically brazen, so cynical and ethically corrupt that both men deserve to have their portraits hung in Illinois’ political rogues’ gallery. — Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Hypocritical ex-lawmakers show that you can’t shame the shameless," 5 July 2019 But among the main lessons of Trumpism is that a transparently cynical and patently untrue statement can still be politically effective. — Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, "Democratic Debate 2019: Kamala Harris Exposed the Biden Weaknesses That Trump Will Exploit," 28 June 2019 Yet the outrage marshaled by the media, in their role as Democratic handmaidens, is deeply cynical, designed to separate Trump from suburban voters in 2020. — John Kass, Twin Cities, "John Kass: Race card loses its sting as it’s overused," 29 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cynical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cynical
cynical
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of cynical
: believing that people are generally selfish and dishonest
: selfish and dishonest in a way that shows no concern about treating other people fairly
See the full definition for cynical in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cynical
adjective
cyn·i·cal
| \ ˈsi-nə-kəl
\
\
Kids Definition of cynical
: believing that people are selfish and dishonest
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