as in ironic
having or showing a deep distrust of human beings and their motives
so cynical that he can't understand why anyone would volunteer to help out at a homeless shelter
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cynical
Season 2, in the big picture, takes a cynical approach to modern relationships, asking if love is an inherently selfish endeavor within a capitalistic society, where your quality of life is so heavily influenced by what’s in your bank account.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
Wally, too cynical to apprentice.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
The Season 3 premiere is no different, plunging viewers back into Sam Levinson‘s provocative story about young people searching for meaning and connection in a chaotic, often cynical, world.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 12 Apr. 2026
Most of the infrastructure that was struck was located within the heart of the civilian population, as part of Hezbollah's cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians as human shields in order to safeguard its operations.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cynical
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
Wally, too cynical to apprentice.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
The Season 3 premiere is no different, plunging viewers back into Sam Levinson‘s provocative story about young people searching for meaning and connection in a chaotic, often cynical, world.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 12 Apr. 2026
Most of the infrastructure that was struck was located within the heart of the civilian population, as part of Hezbollah's cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians as human shields in order to safeguard its operations.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cynical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynical
Adjective
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This gives the luxury collecting enterprise an ironic tint.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
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That's ironic considering the island is known for its beaches, and this busy, sprawling town full of yoga studios, vegan cafes, shops, spas, and markets is a 30-minute motorbike ride from the nearest stretch of sand.—
Kathryn Romeyn,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Middle of Nowhere’s Kacey is witty, a bit sarcastic, alternately ecstatic and frustrated but always ready to entertain.—
Molly Mary O’Brien,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
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According to a live feed from The New York Times, within minutes of the third day starting, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers had to reproach Musk, instructing him to stop being sarcastic and evasive.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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And work, as this alternately breezy and quite pessimistic crowdpleaser is quick to remind us, isn’t to be taken for granted.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
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Horowitz, for his part, is not pessimistic about where this lands.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The country is already carbon-negative, over 70 percent forested (the national constitution requires at least 60 percent to be preserved), and powered almost entirely by hydroelectricity.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
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Trappings near her home in following months caught a variety of deer mice and white-footed mice, though the rodents tested negative for the virus.—
Eva Flowe
May 6,
Charlotte Observer,
6 May 2026
Adjective
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The misanthropic music matched the bleak unreality of the antisocial pandemic world.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
26 Feb. 2026
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By the end of the year, Alfred Tennyson, lately miserable, misanthropic, semi-broke, and semi-feral, had been made the Poet Laureate of England.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But Alireza Nader, an Iranian independent analyst based in Washington, is skeptical that economic pressure alone will force a strategic breaking point.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
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After the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, which claimed some 300,000 lives, Chardy set out to confirm first-hand whether such a high toll was possible in response to an editor’s skeptical questions, said Jacqueline Charles, the Herald’s longtime Haiti and Caribbean correspondent.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
1 May 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
“Cynical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynical. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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