as in ironical
having or showing a deep distrust of human beings and their motives
so cynical that he can't understand why anyone would volunteer to help out at a homeless shelter
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Recent Examples of cynical
Rampant disinformation has made Bangladeshis cynical about India’s defense of Hindu rights and wary of its meddling in their politics.
—
Simon Montlake, Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2025
The film follows Donnie, a cynical but lovable Cuban solenodon, who takes on an outrageous mission: to avoid extinction by rebranding himself as a panda – one of the world’s most beloved endangered species.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 12 May 2025
Is this a cynical attempt to rescue their party from a political free fall?
—John Opdycke, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 May 2025
And so Lee’s reinterpretation strains to leave us on a high instead of a low, as befits the finale of an update so compellingly eager to flip the script on one of Kurosawa’s most cynical films.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cynical
Simon Montlake, Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2025
The film follows Donnie, a cynical but lovable Cuban solenodon, who takes on an outrageous mission: to avoid extinction by rebranding himself as a panda – one of the world’s most beloved endangered species.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 12 May 2025
Is this a cynical attempt to rescue their party from a political free fall?
—John Opdycke, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 May 2025
And so Lee’s reinterpretation strains to leave us on a high instead of a low, as befits the finale of an update so compellingly eager to flip the script on one of Kurosawa’s most cynical films.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cynical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynical
Adjective
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But things inevitably take a darker, violent turn that results in tragedy and a supremely ironic ending.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2025
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When the former Pro Bowl wideout came across a post on X that suggested the signing of Rodgers was ironic, considering the Steelers just moved off of George Pickens for reportedly causing issues behind the scenes, Bryant came in agreement to defend the new Cowboys wideout.—
Justin Grasso,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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Still, Ernst shared a sarcastic apology video after facing criticism from Democrats over her response to the town hall attendees' concerns.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
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The vibe, never exactly cheerful, and never leavened by a hint of even the most sarcastic sense of humor, takes a turn for the horrific one evening in the wake of the bawdy revels celebrating Tomek’s wedding.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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CEOs’ responses were pessimistic about many business factors.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Still, some scholars remain pessimistic about the odds of deciphering khipus with any certainty.—
Sam Kean,
The Atlantic,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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There is no denying that tariffs come with a net negative cost to the consumer and economic surplus overall.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
4 June 2025
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Meanwhile, polls show that Trump continues to face strong headwinds on the issue of inflation, with net approval ratings on the topic deeply negative—despite attempts by his administration to scale back tariffs, having paused the majority of them.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Wood starred as hopeless romantic Chelsea, who was on vacation with her older, misanthropic boyfriend Rick (Walton Goggins).—
EW.com,
EW.com,
28 May 2025
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Brief yet dense and full of misanthropic humor, Portal holds the hell up nearly twenty years later.—
Joshua Rivera,
Vulture,
6 May 2025
Adjective
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It will be decided on by a conservative-majority Supreme Court that has been skeptical of considerations of race in public life.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2025
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These regions were often skeptical of centralized power, and reformers pushed for tools like the initiative and referendum to give citizens a way to bypass political machines and corporate influence.—
Jeremy Kohler,
ProPublica,
30 May 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
“Cynical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynical. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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