as in critics
a person who distrusts other people and believes that everything is done for selfish reasons
a cynic who believes that nobody does a good deed without expecting something in return
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Recent Examples of cynics
The dollar amount was chosen arbitrarily based on what voters might accept, and some cynics saw it as a move by a pro-development commission to cozy up to environmentalists.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
However, those cynics didn’t sound as enlightened when the Rockets were up 18 early in the fourth quarter Saturday night.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
This is not a home for doomers, cynics, or know-it-alls.
—Daphne Koller, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
The belief by cynics is that Netflix wants to be a streaming service.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 26 Dec. 2025
On the other hand, skeptics and cynics tend to be insistent right now that the clean-up activity is not going to last very long.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Travis Kelce knows what the cynics might think of his relationship with Taylor Swift — two of the most famous people in America just happen to match up perfectly?
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Erudite cynics like Karl Rove have written that gerrymandering has been around as long as there have been politicians and districts and that public officials invariably become inured to their own hypocrisy.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025
Smarmy cynics will call them foolish for their foolhardy ambitions.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
However, those cynics didn’t sound as enlightened when the Rockets were up 18 early in the fourth quarter Saturday night.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
This is not a home for doomers, cynics, or know-it-alls.
—Daphne Koller, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
The belief by cynics is that Netflix wants to be a streaming service.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 26 Dec. 2025
On the other hand, skeptics and cynics tend to be insistent right now that the clean-up activity is not going to last very long.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Travis Kelce knows what the cynics might think of his relationship with Taylor Swift — two of the most famous people in America just happen to match up perfectly?
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Erudite cynics like Karl Rove have written that gerrymandering has been around as long as there have been politicians and districts and that public officials invariably become inured to their own hypocrisy.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025
Smarmy cynics will call them foolish for their foolhardy ambitions.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynics
Noun
-
The crackdown has led to a surge in arrests of immigrants and mounting concerns by critics over the tactics the administration is using both in detention and enforcement.—
STEFANIE DAZIO,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
-
However, that conclusion has been questioned by some critics.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Granted, there are always naysayers when new technology is introduced.—
Marc Saltzman,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
-
But after just one sip, many naysayers changed their tune.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Steel yourself; the pessimists will have gravitas.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2026
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January’s 130,000 gain quieted the pessimists, proving that the labor market had found a floor.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The story follows a rag-tag group of misanthropes who attempt to rob jewels from the Vatican.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Clavicular is the poster child—though by no means the most extreme representative—of the looksmaxxing movement, the latest permutation of an ideology developed by too online misogynist misanthropes in the twenty-tens.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cynics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynics. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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