as in misanthrope
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cynic
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
See All Example Sentences for cynic
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
See All Example Sentences for cynic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynic
Noun
-
The story follows a rag-tag group of misanthropes who attempt to rob jewels from the Vatican.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
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Steyer’s critics have attacked him for previously investing in fossil fuels and for-profit prisons.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
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Nor are there plans for Charles to meet with his son Prince Harry, who has been a critic of the monarchy since giving up royal duties and moving to California.—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Melville was a pessimist, and a tragedian.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
As late as August 2007, the Federal Reserve was skeptical of such bubble talk, while Grantham was dismissed as a pessimist, a dismissal that soon proved mistaken.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mumble rap has long been critiqued for its illegibility—a quality that, as scholar Heidi Lewis has argued, naysayers have long cited to marginalize and malign hip-hop.—
James Gui,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
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Despite the naysayers, Johnson appears excited to be joining a championship contender with the Fever.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Josh is a skeptic who gets itchy whenever actors burst into song; Melissa is a believer who longs for a romance so transcendent that it can be expressed only in an airy glissando, opted up an octave.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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The goal is to engage skeptics and fans alike from the comfort of their seat.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Video
The History of 'Cynic'
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
Cite this Entry
“Cynic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynic. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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