as in misanthrope
a person who distrusts other people and believes that everything is done for selfish reasons
a cynic who believes that nobody does a good deed without expecting something in return
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Recent Examples of cynic
But crypto companies have long maintained that digital currencies are a new, innovative financial product that needs its own set of rules — rules that critics and cynics say the crypto sector would like to shape to its advantage by spending heavily in elections.
—
Rafael Nam, NPR, 19 July 2025
Gunn and Safran and all of Warner Bros can rest easy after the cynics’ snarking over the first trailer back in December.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 10 July 2025
The evergreen revolving door of oddballs and cynics populating that Manhattan arraignment court in the wee hours of the night and at the center of it all a workplace family that will forever be... until next time.
—EW.com, 19 June 2025
Instead, cynics might argue, the exercise was about proving to the White House that Putin was not interested in the peace, or indeed the specific ceasefire proposal, that the Trump administration sought.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cynic
Rafael Nam, NPR, 19 July 2025
Gunn and Safran and all of Warner Bros can rest easy after the cynics’ snarking over the first trailer back in December.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 10 July 2025
The evergreen revolving door of oddballs and cynics populating that Manhattan arraignment court in the wee hours of the night and at the center of it all a workplace family that will forever be... until next time.
—EW.com, 19 June 2025
Instead, cynics might argue, the exercise was about proving to the White House that Putin was not interested in the peace, or indeed the specific ceasefire proposal, that the Trump administration sought.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cynic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynic
Noun
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Rosales is Trevor, Penny’s other BFF, a misanthrope who’d rather fade into the background.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
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The moment in the special is about transformation: how even an icy misanthrope can thaw with a bit of generosity and effort.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 July 2025
Noun
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The book, published in 1997, took the form of love letters written by Kraus and her then husband, the literary critic Sylvère Lotringer, and addressed to his colleague Dick, later revealed to be Dick Hebdige, a scholar known for his work on subcultures.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
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The series is well-regarded by critics, who correctly hail it as a good starting point for little ones just now dipping their toes into Star Wars.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But don’t listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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But don't listen to the pessimists who say there is no cure.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And our naysayers are sitting there with egg on their face.—
Chris Kirkham,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
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Defying its many naysayers, the Haitian Macbeth became an overnight sensation.—
Marlene L. Daut
September 22,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ultimately, some police skeptics saw the commission’s vote as the better of two outcomes — the other being the City Council, which would have been able to examine the pursuit policy had the volunteer body voted against a change.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
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The tongue scan and iris scan—both purported to identify chronic conditions—raised my skeptic’s hackles.—
Peter J. Frank,
Robb Report,
25 Sep. 2025
Video
The History of 'Cynic'
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
Cite this Entry
“Cynic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynic. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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