- 1a person who believes that people only do things to help themselves, rather than for good or sincere reasons Don't be such a cynic!
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- 2a person who does not believe that something good will happen or that something is important Cynics will say that there is not the slightest chance of success.
NAmE//ˈsɪnəˌsɪzəm//
noun [uncountable] In a world full of cynicism she was the one person I felt I could trust.See cynic in the Oxford Advanced Learner's DictionaryCheck pronunciation: cynic