Andrew Ross Sorkin 
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The ancient Greece school of philosophers known as Cynics was founded by Antisthenes, a contemporary of Plato. Antisthenes is said to have taught at a gymnasium outside Athens called the Kynosarges, from which the name of the school, kynikoi, literally, “doglike ones,” may be derived. On the other hand, the name is most closely associated with the most famous Cynic philosopher, Diogenes of Sinope. Diogenes rejected social conventions and declared that whatever was natural and easy could not be indecent and therefore can and should be done in public. This shamelessness earned him the Greek epithet ho kyōn, “the dog.” In English, however, cynic and cynical have more to do with distrust of motives than shamelessness.
Examples of cynic in a Sentence
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 27 Sep. 2024
Once again, this stands in contrast to the prognostications of some cynics.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, TIME, 23 Sep. 2024
Whether one finds this uplifting or eye-rolling is a matter of taste, and cynics will likely find Flanagan’s latest far too saccharine for theirs.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2024
Perhaps, but cynics saw the letter as self-serving.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cynic 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cynic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Video
The History of 'Cynic'
How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.
Dictionary Entries Near cynic
Cite this Entry
“Cynic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cynic. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cynic
noun
from early French cynique or Latin cynicus, both meaning "cynic," from Greek kynikos, literally, "like a dog"
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