cynical

Definitions

1. 1.Pertaining to the Dog Star; as, the cynic, or Sothic, year; cynic cycle.
2. 2.Belonging to the sect of philosophers called cynics; having the qualities of a cynic; pertaining to, or resembling, the doctrines of the cynics.
3. 3.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.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "cynical" mean?
• What is another word for "cynical"?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is cynical.

• What is pertaining to the Dog Star; as, the cynic, or Sothic, year; cynic cycle called?
• What is belonging to the sect of philosophers called cynics; having the qualities of a cynic; pertaining to, or resembling, the doctrines of the cynics called?