as in desperation
cynical beliefs; beliefs that people are generally selfish and dishonest
Nothing could change her cynicism about politics.
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Recent Examples of cynicism
Today, years later, Danny sings it without cynicism.
—
Martín Toro, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2025
In clear and graceful prose, remarkably free of polemic or cynicism, Mazower soberly describes how and why the politics of anti-Semitism have metastasized in such maddening ways.
—Daniel May, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Sydney’s storyline and younger voice is what cuts Carmy’s cynicism and Richie’s profanity.
—Nikki Sternberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2025
The original Alien came out at the end of a decade defined in part by stagflation, corporate consolidation, globalism, and a general sense of cynicism that pervaded American culture.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cynicism
Martín Toro, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2025
In clear and graceful prose, remarkably free of polemic or cynicism, Mazower soberly describes how and why the politics of anti-Semitism have metastasized in such maddening ways.
—Daniel May, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Sydney’s storyline and younger voice is what cuts Carmy’s cynicism and Richie’s profanity.
—Nikki Sternberg, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2025
The original Alien came out at the end of a decade defined in part by stagflation, corporate consolidation, globalism, and a general sense of cynicism that pervaded American culture.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cynicism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynicism
Noun
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Daniels also threw a desperation pick while simply trying to get rid of the ball, but the game’s outcome was decided by then.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
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Tatum does stretch his acting abilities in scenes where Jeffrey’s con-man charisma is underlaid with desperation and deception, but there’s nothing in Cianfrance and Kirt Gunn’s screenplay to seriously challenge Tatum’s persona as a leading man.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Julianne cited her sisters' accomplishments in their own fields, as well as their flourishing personal lives, as a reason why the sadness never flowered into full-on resentment.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
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Shock, anger, sadness, disbelief were words used by multiple senior sources inside the West Wing, ABC News' Katherine Faulders said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As France awaits its next prime minister, Bacharan says many people are in despair over the uncertainty this has brought on the country.—
Eleanor Beardsley,
NPR,
9 Sep. 2025
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Mauricio says his wife didn’t give in to that despair and felt reassured by having a work permit.—
Gustavo Valdés,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel Hamnet imagined the relationship between the Bard and his spouse as an intimate tale of lust, compromise, joy, resentment, support, and sorrow.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
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Jolie nonetheless manages to bring some palpable life to the role, complicating her otherworldly magnetism with a dawning dread and sorrow.—
Richard Lawson,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The doom and gloom among consumers is likely related to the concerning trend of low hiring that is increasingly becoming apparent from revisions by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
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The mood in clean tech is far from doom and gloom.—
Anna Broughel,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Today that sense of hopelessness has been replaced by a sense of determination and a good deal more hope.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
6 Sep. 2025
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Bigelow’s explosively entertaining real-time thriller, told from multiple perspectives at various levels of government from situation room deputies to POTUS (Idris Elba) himself, does not mince on hopelessness.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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An unwinding of pessimism amongst short-term option traders could help MU keep charging higher.—
Schaeffer's Investment Research,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Yet the transfer deadline was accompanied by a tone of understandable pessimism among fans that has rarely been seen on Fosun’s watch.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Lacy’s new music maintains his sly sense of humor, but with a barefaced melancholy that pushes it to new emotional depths.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
14 Aug. 2025
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More often than not, the film’s nostalgia is sweet and enjoyable because it is paired with the melancholy that comes from all the acknowledgments of the actors from the original who died over the last 29 years.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cynicism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynicism. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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