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De - Pt| English Dictionary: cynical | by the DICT Development Group |
| 2 results for cynical | |
| From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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| From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
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Cynic \Cyn"ic\ (s[icr]n"[icr]k), Cynical \Cyn"ic*al\ (-[icr]*k[ait]l), a. [L. cynicus of the sect of Cynics, fr. Gr. kyniko`s, prop., dog-like, fr. ky`wn, kyno`s, dog. See {Hound}.] 1. Having the qualities of a surly dog; snarling; captious; currish. I hope it is no very cynical asperity not to confess obligations where no benefit has been received. --Johnson. 2. Pertaining to the Dog Star; as, the cynic, or Sothic, year; cynic cycle. 3. Belonging to the sect of philosophers called cynics; having the qualities of a cynic; pertaining to, or resembling, the doctrines of the cynics. 4. Given to sneering at rectitude and the conduct of life by moral principles; disbelieving in the reality of any human purposes which are not suggested or directed by self-interest or self-indulgence; as, a cynical man who scoffs at pretensions of integrity; characterized by such opinions; as, cynical views of human nature. Note: In prose, cynical is used rather than cynic, in the senses 1 and 4. {Cynic spasm} (Med.), a convulsive contraction of the muscles of one side of the face, producing a sort of grin, suggesting certain movements in the upper lip of a dog. | |
