as in desperation
cynical beliefs; beliefs that people are generally selfish and dishonest
Nothing could change her cynicism about politics.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cynicism
Speaking of fans, in this day and age of online cynicism, public opinion on the trailer is split.
—
Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
Unlike Cricket, Olympia is earnest and sincere about her art in the way that only a young person untainted by cynicism can be.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
There’s a general cynicism to most things.
—Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 4 June 2026
Earned and justified cynicism aside, Beuerlein firmly believes that the Cowboys should be good.
—Mac Engel
june 4, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for cynicism
Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
Unlike Cricket, Olympia is earnest and sincere about her art in the way that only a young person untainted by cynicism can be.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
There’s a general cynicism to most things.
—Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 4 June 2026
Earned and justified cynicism aside, Beuerlein firmly believes that the Cowboys should be good.
—Mac Engel
june 4, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for cynicism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynicism
Noun
-
Vegas pulled Carter Hart with about three minutes to go, officially entering desperation mode, but nothing worked, and Nikolaj Ehlers scored an empty-netter to start the party.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
-
Much of what looks like desperation is closer to opportunity and overlap.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
His profound sadness and rage give the audience permission to feel similarly.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
-
The Spurs accrued a 10-point lead at that point, blitzing the Knicks with the type of pressure expected from a team that was a loss away from an offseason filled with sadness.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Paula turns on a dime, expertly masks her horror, stress, and despair, and puts on a smile for her little girl.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
-
What happened last night was a double dip of despair.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Should this come to pass, Kennedy and his allies will have succeeded in Making Microbes Great Again—to our swift and deepening sorrow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the crash, paying tribute to the military personnel killed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
For a few hours, there's no doom and gloom on the news, no family drama, no Slack notifications, no people fighting about dumb stuff on social media.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
The first thing many visitors see from their airplane windows is the giant LUMEN screaming up through the Seattle gloom.—
Les Carpenter,
Washington Post,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
That essay, written in 1940 — the same year Native Son was published — is suffused with profound hopelessness for what was indeed to come.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
Like Makki, many grapple with guilt and hopelessness.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
For example, studies show that the mechanisms for both optimism and pessimism lie in opposite parts of the brain, with the right hemisphere primarily driving pessimism and the left primarily driving optimism.—
Dr. Deepika Chopra,
Flow Space,
16 June 2026
-
The pessimism exists for good reason, as Brazil’s journey to the World Cup was characterized by scandals off the pitch and underperformance on it.—
Emile Nuh,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Absent the lush melancholy of classic synth-pop, what Hervé and Amato had in common with their forbears was a spirit of innovation rooted in profound laziness.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
23 May 2026
-
While the actors are committed, poignant and warm, their upbeat tone doesn’t always blend well with the melancholy of the picture.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cynicism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynicism. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
