cynicism C1 Topic:People & Society US /ˈsɪnɪˌsɪzəm/ UK /ˈsɪn.ɪˌsɪzəm/ See IPA manual Freq #24649 Meanings 1 noun A distrustful attitude that assumes people act only out of selfishness. Years of broken promises had filled her with cynicism about politics. 2 noun In ancient Greece, a school of philosophy that valued virtue and self-control above wealth and pleasure. Cynicism taught that a simple life close to nature was the path to happiness. Thesaurus Word family Forms cynicisms Related forms cyniccynicalcynically Etymology AI details From Cynicism, cynic + -ism; compare cynism. Topics People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # cynicism **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈsɪnɪˌsɪzəm/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈsɪn.ɪˌsɪzəm/ **Frequency rank:** 24649 ## Meanings 1. A distrustful attitude that assumes people act only out of selfishness. 2. In ancient Greece, a school of philosophy that valued virtue and self-control above wealth and pleasure. ## Examples - Years of broken promises had filled her with cynicism about politics. - Cynicism taught that a simple life close to nature was the path to happiness. ## Related Forms - cynic - cynical - cynically ## Etymology From Cynicism, cynic + -ism; compare cynism. ## AI Etymology Cynicism is from Cynicism, cynic + -ism; compare cynism. In present-day use, it can mean a distrustful attitude that assumes people act only out of selfishness, or in ancient Greece, a school of philosophy that valued virtue and self-control above wealth and pleasure. Related vocabulary includes cynic, cynical, and cynically. ## Topics - People & Society - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown