cynicism

noun

cyn·​i·​cism ˈsi-nə-ˌsi-zəm 

1

Cynicism : the doctrine of the Cynics (see cynic sense 2)

2

: cynical attitude or quality

Nothing could change her cynicism about politics.

also : a cynical comment or act

pungent cynicisms

Examples of cynicism in a Sentence

Nothing could change her cynicism about politics.

Recent Examples on the Web

Jeffrey Epstein has become one of the few scandals that unites Americans in cynicism. —Kaitlyn Buss, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026

But our power is about awakening something beyond fear and cynicism in the human nervous system. —Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026

Also striking was that George Jefferson shared his cynicism about White people and race in America via blunt humor and uncomfortable truths. —Starr Rocque, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026

But the art of Violette and his cohort tapped into a deeper disillusionment, the kind of corrosive cynicism that pervades a culture in which any sense of possibility for a non-horrifying future has been foreclosed. —Rachel Wetzler, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see cynic

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cynicism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

Kids Definition

cynicism

noun

cyn·​i·​cism ˈsin-ə-ˌsiz-əm 

: a cynical attitude or quality

also : an expression of cynical quality