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Word Unpacked.

cynicism

noun [ˈsɪnɪˌsɪzəm]
pronunciation CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, open source

Cynicism is the belief that people act mainly out of self-interest, so declared ideals and good intentions cannot be trusted; it also names an ancient Greek school.

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Definitions

  1. A general distrust of other people's motives, based on the assumption that behind every noble word or generous act there is a hidden selfish aim.
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  2. An attitude of mocking or disregarding moral standards, especially when someone openly acts against them because they believe nobody really keeps them anyway.
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  3. Loss of faith in an institution, a profession or a process, such as politics or the media, caused by repeated disappointment.
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  4. In the history of philosophy: the teaching of the Cynics, a Greek school which held that a good life means virtue, very few needs and indifference to social convention.
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Examples

Usage

In modern English cynicism is almost always a critical word. It describes a habit of reading the worst into other people's motives: a charity gala is seen as tax planning, an apology as damage control, a friendly colleague as someone who wants something. The word is common in political commentary, where journalists write about public cynicism or cynicism about politicians, and in workplace writing, where it describes staff who no longer believe what management says.

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Cynicism should be kept apart from scepticism and from irony. A sceptic doubts a claim and asks for evidence, but may change their mind once the evidence arrives. Someone speaking ironically says one thing to suggest another. A cynic goes further: they assume in advance that motives are selfish and often feel no need to check. For that reason calling a person cynical is usually a stronger charge than calling them suspicious or critical, and it often implies that they also feel free to ignore principles themselves.

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The philosophical sense goes back to the Cynics of ancient Greece. Webster's 1913 dictionary describes them as a school founded by Antisthenes, with Diogenes as a disciple, and notes that the first Cynics were known for austere lives and scorn for social customs. Their provocative contempt for convention gave the word its later popular meaning.

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When the school is meant, writers often capitalise the word as Cynicism. The noun is usually uncountable; the related forms are cynic for a person, cynical as the adjective and cynically as the adverb. In a milder sense, cynicism can describe a tired, disappointed outlook rather than a hostile one. Frequent phrases include growing cynicism, deep cynicism, political cynicism, public cynicism and a note of cynicism.

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Word forms

Regular forms according to English morphology (editorial description); the noun is mostly used without a plural.

word forms

przypadek forma
singular cynicism
plural cynicisms

Word forms: Editorial team

Collocations

Synonyms · Antonyms

Synonyms distrust, scepticism, pessimism, disillusionment
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Antonyms idealism, trust, optimism, naivety
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Etymology

From cynic with the suffix -ism; Skeat lists cynical and cynicism among the derivatives of cynic. Skeat explains cynic as literally “dog-like” and notes its use in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The word came through Latin cynicus, “one of the sect of Cynics”, from Greek kynikós, “dog-like”, built on kyn-, the stem of kýōn, “dog”; Skeat connects it with Latin canis and English hound. Webster's 1913 dictionary defines cynicism both as the doctrine of the Cynics and as the quality of being cynical, so the everyday sense was already established by then.
source W. W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Oxford 1910, open source
also Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913, open source

Related words

Related entries

Questions and answers

What does cynicism mean?

Cynicism means expecting the worst of people's motives. A cynical person assumes that kind words and good deeds usually hide self-interest, and often makes fun of ideals that others take seriously.

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Is cynicism the same as scepticism?

No. Scepticism is doubt that waits for evidence and can be overcome by it. Cynicism is a settled assumption that motives are selfish, so evidence of good intentions rarely changes a cynic's view.

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Why is cynicism connected with dogs?

The word comes from Greek kynikós, meaning dog-like. The ancient Cynic philosophers lived simply and ignored social customs, and the dog comparison stuck to them and later to the word.

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What is the adjective from cynicism?

The adjective is cynical, as in a cynical remark or a cynical move. A person with this attitude is a cynic, and the adverb is cynically.

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