cynic

cyn·ic  (snk)

n.

1. A person who believes all people are motivated by selfishness.

2. A person whose outlook is scornfully and often habitually negative.

3. Cynic A member of a sect of ancient Greek philosophers who believed virtue to be the only good and self-control to be the only means of achieving virtue.

adj.

1. Cynical.

2. Cynic Of or relating to the Cynics or their beliefs.

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[Latin cynicus, Cynic philosopher, from Greek kunikos, from kun, kun-, dog; see kwon- in Indo-European roots.]

Word History: A cynic may be pardoned for thinking that this is a dog's life. The Greek word kunikos, from which cynic comes, was originally an adjective meaning "doglike," from kun, "dog." The word was probably applied to the Cynic philosophers because of the nickname kun given to Diogenes of Sinope, the prototypical Cynic. He is reported to have been seen barking in public, urinating on the leg of a table, and masturbating on the street. The first use of the word recorded in English, in a work published from 1547 to 1564, is in the plural for members of this philosophical sect. In 1596 we find the first instance of cynic meaning "faultfinder," a sense that was to develop into our modern sense. The meaning "faultfinder" came naturally from the behavior of countless Cynics who in their pursuit of virtue pointed out the flaws in others. Such faultfinding could lead quite naturally to the belief associated with cynics of today that selfishness determines human behavior.

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cynic [ˈsɪnɪk]

n

a person who believes the worst about people or the outcome of events

adj

1. a less common word for cynical

2. (Astronomy) Astronomy of or relating to Sirius, the Dog Star

[via Latin from Greek Kunikos, from kuōn dog]

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Cynic [ˈsɪnɪk]

n

(Philosophy) a member of a sect founded by Antisthenes that scorned worldly things and held that self-control was the key to the only good

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	cynic - someone who is critical of the motives of others faultfinder disagreeable person, unpleasant person - a person who is not pleasant or agreeable depreciator, detractor, disparager, knocker - one who disparages or belittles the worth of something
	2.	Cynic - a member of a group of ancient Greek philosophers who advocated the doctrine that virtue is the only good and that the essence of virtue is self-control philosopher - a specialist in philosophy

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cynic

noun sceptic, doubter, pessimist, misanthrope, misanthropist, scoffer A cynic might see this as simply a ploy to make us part with more money.

Quotations
"A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing" [Oscar Wilde Lady Windermere's Fan]
"The cynic is one who never sees a good quality in a man, and never fails to see a bad one" [H.W. Beecher Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit]
"cynic: a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be" [Ambrose Bierce The Devil's Dictionary]

Translations

cynic [ˈsɪnɪk] N → cínico/a m/f

cynic [ˈsɪnɪk] n → cynique mf

cynic

n

→ Zyniker(in) m(f); don’t be such a cynic → sei nicht so zynisch

Cynic (Philos) → Kyniker m, → Zyniker m

cynic [ˈsɪnɪk] n → cinico/a

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cynic [ˈsɪnɪk] n → cinico/a