CYNICISM Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

cynicism

noun

Definition of cynicism

as in desperation

cynical beliefs; beliefs that people are generally selfish and dishonest Nothing could change her cynicism about politics.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cynicism Rejecting Question Three would send a powerful signal that not every American is ready to succumb to cynicism and propagate the worst parts of our political culture. — Colin Pascal, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026 The movie is an epic series of harrumphs and harangues, propelled from room to room—and, in time, out into the world beyond the estate—by a spirit of impudent absurdism and corrosive cynicism which seems to emanate from Digger himself. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026 The Italian coda is sweet, allowing Pariser to redeem the concept of love from the cynicism of a world wary of romance. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026 This wasn’t a real protection strategy; this was a symbolic update cloaked in the appearance of safety that ultimately breeds cynicism toward the brand. — Titania Jordan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cynicism

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cynicism

Noun

Without the timeout, where New York could have advanced the ball to midcourt, Stewart missed a desperation shot at the buzzer.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Yet seemingly out of desperation, the nominees also have included total head-scratchers like Coldplay, Florence + the Machine, Matchbox Twenty, the Eagles — the fuckin’ Eagles, man!

— Jem Aswad, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of desperation

Noun

Beat shows how so many of the sounds that were prevalent in the mid-’90s contained a unique, end-of-the century sadness.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
People can experience grief, sadness, relief, conflict or combinations of these emotions after any pregnancy outcome.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of sadness

Noun

The tone creeps into despair as the scales fall from Sutskever’s eyes.

— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
The cumulative effect of the bowl’s ambient violence (robbery, assault, and overdose abound) amounts to an open-air despair not unlike Fox News-style depictions of California as a wholesale war zone.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of despair

Noun

Because so many of Gunn’s friends died in San Francisco, a city where Gunn had found happiness and freedom, then these elegies are also a monument to a time of communal sorrow and mourning.

— Colm Tóibín, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Another decision that those who are rejected face, at least if anger is mixed in with sorrow, is where to direct that anger.

— George Loewenstein, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of sorrow

Noun

According to 2025 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of youth have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness — about 10% more than a decade earlier.

— Darius Tahir, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Corruption across the political divide Much of this year’s fatigue traces back to a sense of hopelessness over systemic corruption, which ranks among voters’ biggest concerns, yet neither camp can claim the issue as its own, say experts.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of hopelessness

Noun

Republicans have expressed growing pessimism about their chances in the election, which will determine control of Congress, as the president has repeatedly dismissed concerns about high costs and gas prices as his unpopular war in Iran drags on.

— MICHELLE L. PRICE, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Being the unintentional voice of political pessimism can make a person something of a pessimist.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of pessimism

Noun

The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.

— Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of melancholy

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“Cynicism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cynicism. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cynicism

noun

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