as in desperation
cynical beliefs; beliefs that people are generally selfish and dishonest
Nothing could change her cynicism about politics.
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Example Sentences
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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
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Electing Talarico would be like connecting on one of those last-second, desperation, alley-oop passes in the end zone.—
Mark Barabak,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
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This match finally picked up in the second half, reflecting the desperation each side had after losing their opening matches.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Noun
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His profound sadness and rage give the audience permission to feel similarly.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
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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
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What happened last night was a double dip of despair.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 June 2026
Noun
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But the book’s ruminative watchfulness is unsuccessfully conjugated in this overly sedate play with music, which has the feel of a song cycle, though sung by the fine cast with gorgeous, lonely sorrow.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
19 June 2026
-
At times the longing feels sweet and the search like a little sorrow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 June 2026
Noun
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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
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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
-
There were scandals and heartbreak and dysfunction and, worst of all, a hopelessness.—
Mike Vorkunov,
New York Times,
14 June 2026
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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
Noun
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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
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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
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Beneath all the sensuality and beauty, there’s also a lingering melancholy that feels very familiar to me.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
16 June 2026
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Early Years Eichenberg recounted his childhood with some melancholy.—
Jessica George,
JSTOR Daily,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cynicism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynicism. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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