SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
cynical
adjective
Distrustful of people's sincerity and inclined to assume selfish motives.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Distrustful of motives
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topCynical expects selfish or insincere motives. Skeptical questions claims; disillusioned has lost an idealized belief; misanthropic expresses dislike of people.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See cynical in use
The narrator's cynical commentary treats every generous gesture as a bid for praise.
A cynical band member assumed that the sponsor's offer of chairs was merely an attempt to obtain flattering publicity.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license