cynicism - Dictionary definition and pronunciation - Yahoo! Education

Definition of cynicism

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cyn·i·cism  audio  (sn-szm) KEY 

NOUN:
  1. An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others: the public cynicism aroused by governmental scandals.
  2. A scornfully or jadedly negative comment or act: "She arrived at a philosophy of her own, all made up of her private notations and cynicisms" (Henry James).
  3. Cynicism The beliefs of the ancient Cynics.



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