Cynical

English

Adjective

Cynical (comparative more Cynical, superlative most Cynical)

1. of or related to the belief that human actions are motivated only or primarily by base desires or selfishness.
2. skeptical of the integrity, sincerity, or motives of others.
3. bitterly or jadedly distrustful or contemptuous; mocking.
4. showing contempt for accepted moral standards by one's actions.
5. (medicine, rare) like the actions of a snarling dog.

Adverbs for Cynical

bitterly; harshly; gloomily; contemptuously; derisively; scornfully; sneeringly; disdainfully; morosely; witheringly; superciliously; pitifully; censoriously; abusively; scandalously; outrageously; dryly; cuttingly; disparagingly; insufferably; pompously; arrogantly; bumptiously.

Synonyms for Cynical

sneering, contemptuous, pessimistic, distrustful, petulant, testy, satirical, doubtful.

Antonyms for Cynical

hopeful, believing, calm, pleasant, good-natured.

Thesaurus

Cassandra-like, Cassandran, Cassandrian, Rabelaisian, Timonistic, antisocial, captious, carping, caustic, caviling, critical, defeatist, dismal, downbeat, dry, faultfinding, gloomy, hairsplitting, hypercritical, ironic, man-hating, misogynous, nagging, negative, negativistic, niggling, nihilistic, overcritical, pessimist, pessimistic, pettifogging, quibbling, sarcastic, sardonic, satiric, sexist, trichoschistic, ultracritical, uncheerful, unsociable, woman-hating

Etymology

Originated 1580–90 from cynic+-al.

Pronunciation

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• Homophone: sinical

Translations

of or related to the belief that human actions are motivated by base desires or selfishness

Bulgarian: циничен (bg) (ciníčen) Chinese: Mandarin: 玩世不恭 (zh) (wánshìbùgōng) Croatian: cìničan (hr) Czech: cynický (cs) m. Danish: kynisk (da) Dutch: cynisch (nl) French: cynique (fr) German: zynisch (de) Greek: κυνικός (el) (kinikós)

Italian: cinico (it) Japanese: 皮肉な (ja) (ひにくな, hiniku-na) Norwegian: Bokmål: kynisk (nb) Nynorsk: kynisk (nn) Russian: циничный (ru) (ciníčnyj) Scottish Gaelic: dranndanach (gd), searbhasach (gd) Spanish: cínico (es)