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
In that light, Superman might not have it so bad after all, with Luthor’s questing jealousy, not to mention the agape disbelief of a cynical humanity, always there to establish the stakes.
—
Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
And as alcoholic has-been Morris, Matthau was fantastically slovenly and cynical, an anti–role model for the ages.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
Cynthia Nixon was the cynical and straight-talking lawyer Miranda Hobbes.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2025
Michael Mosley had a good amount of credits to his name prior to playing cynical med student Drew on Scrubs' last season, both on Law & Order: SVU and the TV drama Kidnapped.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cynical
Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
And as alcoholic has-been Morris, Matthau was fantastically slovenly and cynical, an anti–role model for the ages.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
Cynthia Nixon was the cynical and straight-talking lawyer Miranda Hobbes.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2025
Michael Mosley had a good amount of credits to his name prior to playing cynical med student Drew on Scrubs' last season, both on Law & Order: SVU and the TV drama Kidnapped.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cynical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynical
Adjective
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Davidson seems to be channeling a new-age Jerry Lewis here, ironic since one of Murphy’s biggest successes was delivering a brilliant take on an early Lewis role in The Nutty Professor, but one playing eight different parts over two films was purely his own.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
4 Aug. 2025
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Cooper’s talk of making strides in the table is a bit ironic considering KC sits comfortably atop the NWSL standings.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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This is the kind of sarcastic humor that keeps the mood light throughout the 162-game marathon.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Aug. 2025
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This perky, self-aware, sarcastic and downright silly show caters to both the more traditional Goodspeed audiences.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Our Keith Law was one of the more pessimistic graders on De Vries in the most recent batch of prospect rankings — and Keith put him at No. 13 in the sport.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
31 July 2025
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Meanwhile, broader public sentiment about the country's direction has also become more pessimistic.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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At these meetings, all manner of data were discussed and analyzed, resulting in strategies to combat negative trends.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
15 Aug. 2025
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The approval margin reached its most negative on April 29 at -7.2 percentage points, which fell around Trump's 100-day mark.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The songs molded a claustrophobic, atmospheric universe out of blast beats, buzz-saw guitars and strangled shrieking, with misanthropic lyrics that explored bleakness, despair, paganism and coldness (both metaphorical and literal).—
Elisabeth Vincentelli,
New York Times,
22 Mar. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Heart Age May Not Be the Perfect Metric However, some experts are more skeptical.—
Kristen Fischer,
Health,
9 Aug. 2025
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Not only are voters more skeptical of media reports and talking points, OBBBA supporters have much more time to counter misinformation than was the case with the TCJA.—
Patrick Gleason,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 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 21 Aug. 2025.
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