Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others: the public cynicism aroused by governmental scandals.
- n. A scornfully or jadedly negative comment or act: "She arrived at a philosophy of her own, all made up of her private notations and cynicisms” ( Henry James).
- n. The beliefs of the ancient Cynics.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The body of doctrine inculcated and practised by the Cynics; indifference to pleasure; stoicism pushed to austerity, asceticism, or acerbity.
- n. The character or state of being cynical; cynicalness.
Wiktionary
- n. a distrustful attitude
- n. an emotion of jaded negativity, or a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of other people. Cynicism can manifest itself by frustration, disillusionment and distrust in regard to organizations, authorities and other aspects of society, often due to previous bad experience. Cynics often view others as motivated solely by disguised self-interest.
- n. a skeptical, scornful or pessimistic comment or act
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The doctrine of the Cynics; the quality of being cynical; the mental state, opinions, or conduct, of a cynic; morose and contemptuous views and opinions.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a cynical feeling of distrust
Examples
“In the spirit of Barack Obama, he warned them that cynicism is the enemy, “cynicism” being the code word du jour for any skepticism about liberal proposals to perfect mankind under the tutelage of a benevolent government.”
“And at the same time, if I may, you often decry what you call a cynicism that you believe is pervasive in Washington, but given the amounts of money that were raised last year, the way they were raised and some of the explanations for the way they were raised, isn't the public entitled to a little bit of healthy skepticism, if not cynicism, about the entire process?”
“We are still scared of the idea of power in the hands of the people and our own cynicism is part of the problem. on March 29, 2010 at 11: 45 pm allcoppedout”
“As you say boss, this cynicism is replicated by the politicians, sorry, senior officers, who run police ‘services’ up and down the land; no connection with the people they serve and even less interest in the issues that concern said people.”
Bigotgate – the Diversity Trainers nightmare. « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG
“That said, I think there is a genuine warmth and gracious embrace of humanity - with all its flaws and foibles - among most Mexicans that seems to be lacking, or layered in cynicism, among people from the U.S. or people from most western European countries (with which I am most familiar).”
Dialect and Language discussion - pulled from another thread . . .
“His raising of a wedge issue speaks not only of a certain cynicism but of what appears to be an endemic White House cluelessness.”
“One in which the gravity of cynicism is tearing our culture to shreds as our values seem to be compressed in to units of worth that are measured in dollars.”
“Now, cynicism is as taken for granted as air pollution and just as deadly.”
Matthew Yglesias » Universalism and Particularism in Neoconservatism
“Proving that not all governors fit the definition of cynicism -- knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing -- California, New York, Illinois, and other major states are resolving their budget issues by working with public employees and their unions.”
“To many a compromised Obama will strain their naivete and that sullied optimism we call cynicism will take over.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘cynicism’.
tbtabby An unpleasant way of stating the facts. May 19, 2009
oroboros A grizzled ole timer with pad and pencil was asking passersby:
“Pardon, but is ‘cynicism’ spelled with two ‘I’s’ or one ‘me’?�?
--Jan Cox Aug 31, 2007