cynical

(sĭn'ĭ-kəl)
adj.

1. Believing or showing the belief that people are motivated chiefly by base or selfish concerns; skeptical of the motives of others: a cynical dismissal of the politician's promise to reform the campaign finance system.
2. Selfishly or callously calculating: showed a cynical disregard for the safety of his troops in his efforts to advance his reputation.
3. Negative or pessimistic, as from world-weariness: a cynical view of the average voter's intelligence.
4. Expressing jaded or scornful skepticism or negativity: cynical laughter.

cynically cyn'i·cal·ly adv.
cynicalness cyn'i·cal·ness n.

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adjective

Marked by or displaying contemptuous mockery of the motives or virtues of others: cynic, ironic, ironical, sardonic, wry. See attitude/good attitude/bad attitude/neutral attitude, respect/contempt/standing.

adj

Definition: nonbelieving; doubtful
Antonyms: believing, hopeful, optimistic, trusting, undoubting

IN BRIEF: In an untrusting manner.

The leader of the club spoke cynically about the effort put forth to collect more money.

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For a list of words related to cynical, see:

• Cold, Unfriendly, Irritable, or Cruel

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See words rhyming with "cynical."

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - kynisk, hensynsløs, spotsk

Nederlands (Dutch)
cynisch, wantrouwend

Français (French)
adj. - cynique

Deutsch (German)
adj. - zynisch

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - κυνικός, ωμός

Italiano (Italian)
cinico

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - cínico, céptico

Русский (Russian)
циничный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - cínico

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - cynisk, kynisk

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
愤世嫉俗的, 冷嘲的, 讽刺的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 憤世嫉俗的, 冷嘲的, 諷刺的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 냉소적인, 까다로운, 남을 믿지 않는

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 皮肉な, 冷笑的な

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) سخري, تهكمي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮לעגני, ציני‬

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