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Definitions for Cynic

[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.
[4] cynical.
[5] (initial capital letter ) Also Cynical. of or relating to the Cynics or their doctrines.
[6] Medicine/Medical Now Rare . resembling the actions of a snarling dog.
[7] a person who believes the worst about people or the outcome of events
[8] a less common word for cynical
[9] astronomy of or relating to Sirius, the Dog Star
[10] a member of a sect founded by Antisthenes that scorned worldly things and held that self-control was the key to the only good

Words related to Cynic

skeptic, doubter, pessimist, detractor, unbeliever, questioner, misanthropist, caviler, misanthrope, carper, egoist, misogynist, egotist, misogamist, mocker, scoffer, satirist

Words nearby Cynic

cymru, cymry, cynanche, cynewulf, cynghanedd, cynic, cynic spasm, cynical, cynicism, cyno-, cynocephaly

Origin of Cynic

1540–50; < Latin Cynicus < Greek Kynikós Cynic, literally, doglike, currish, equivalent to kyn- (stem of kýōn ) dog + -ikos -ic

Words that may be confused with Cynic

cynic, optimist, pessimist, skeptic

Other words from Cynic

an·ti·cyn·ic , noun, adjective

Word origin for Cynic

C16: via Latin from Greek Kunikos, from kuōn dog

Synonyms for Cynic

detractor, doubter, pessimist, skeptic, carper, caviler, disbeliever, egoist, egotist, flouter, misanthrope, misanthropist, misogamist, misogynist, mocker, questioner, satirist, scoffer, sneerer, unbeliever, doubting Thomas