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cynic

[sin-ik] / ˈsɪn ɪk /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To have no needs or desires, in the Cynic view, conferred a power greater than that of a king.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Cynic, realist, whatever: when I stood around chatting with my free drink, surrounded by optimism, I harbored some reservations about the usefulness of analog astronautics and the motivations of the participants.

From Scientific American • Jul. 10, 2023

The Cynic replied “stop standing in my sunbeam.”

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

Alec MacGillis is a reporter for ProPublica and the author of “The Cynic: The Political Education of Mitch McConnell.”

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2019

“When Diogenes the Cynic heard, in a debate, that there was no such thing as change nor motion, he refuted the charge by walking about the stage during his opponent’s speech, waggling his legs.”

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson




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