How to Use cynical in a Sentence

cynical

adjective
  • Cynical people say there is no such thing as true love.
  • She's become more cynical in her old age.
  • Some people regard the governor's visit to the hospital as a cynical attempt to win votes.
  • People are so cynical nowadays.
  • The modern response to this deluge of tragedy often feels painfully cynical.
    Hazlitt, 23 Oct. 2024
  • But a good monster still has the power to scare — and maybe even seduce — an audience, even in the cynical 21st century.
    Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
  • Even to a cynical city kid like me, the coat was badass.
    Town & Country, 10 Dec. 2012
  • One’s from the bush, the other’s a cynical city girl, and both want a date to the Debutante Ball.
    Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 16 July 2024
  • Which brings me to the moment that cracked my cynical heart.
    Mickey Rapkin, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2023
  • There’s a cynical term of art for this approach: ship and pray.
    Ben Hubbard, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2020
  • Cheating has damaged the Hall of Fame, too. and forced all of us to be cynical.
    Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Jan. 2020
  • Thanksgiving is a time even the most cynical of us can pause and look on the bright side.
    National Geographic, 26 Nov. 2020
  • The look was lo-fi and absurdist, and the tone was eye-rolling, cynical, self-aware.
    Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2020
  • When asked about what happened to the Eye, Valderas was more cynical.
    Jeremy Hallock, Dallas News, 31 May 2020
  • The past year has left him cynical about the government.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 June 2021
  • Viewers weren't yet cynical about the prospect of finding the love of your life in a few short weeks on TV.
    Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 9 July 2024
  • Even the most cynical might have snuck a peek at the horse drawn carriages, the guards with swords, or the opulent chapel.
    Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press, 20 May 2018
  • Trump weaponized this cynical ploy on the campaign trail.
    Nina Burleigh, Newsweek, 5 Oct. 2017
  • And yet there are reasons to be cynical about such rhetoric.
    Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 23 Apr. 2023
  • Cruise has been savvy (cynical, arguably) about where the movies are now.
    Wesley Morris, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2022
  • The voice remained the same: tough, knowing, at times cynical.
    New York Times, 23 Dec. 2021
  • Even the most cynical teens enjoy picnics; go to goodhousekeeping.com/picnics for ideas.
    Charlotte Latvala, Good Housekeeping, 4 May 2010
  • Supporters of the new taxes and fees have a more cynical view.
    Rachel Swan, SFChronicle.com, 26 June 2018
  • In some ways, France is an easy scapegoat for cynical army men.
    Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
  • But there is nothing cynical about the short poem this song is based on.
    The Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2020
  • Up next was Living and Dying in 3/4 Time, the most cynical record of his career — in fact, the only one.
    Nick Murray, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2023
  • Reissues of ’90s records are legion right now, but this is not one to feel cynical about.
    Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2018
  • Maybe, on some level, sure — but this take is more cynical than mine.
    Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 19 May 2022
  • Sorry to be cynical, but this isn’t a solution built for the long term.
    The Editorial Board, WSJ, 24 Oct. 2022
  • Based on the first few episodes, the tone is more bleakly cynical than satirical.
    oregonlive, 30 June 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cynical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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