cynic
/ˈsɪnɪk/noun, adjective
cynic is spelled C-Y-N-I-C: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cynic means “A person whose outlook is scornfully negative” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cynic is cynics.
How many letters and syllables are in cynic?
| Letters | 5: C-Y-N-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,565th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is cynic?
Cynic appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cynic?
- /ˈsɪnɪk/
Cynic has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-cynic.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with cynic
Sounds like: Sinic (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of cynic
- cynics plural
- more cynic comparative
- most cynic superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cynic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person whose outlook is scornfully negative.
"Accept your limitations," I'd warn her. "A lot of these kids are damaged beyond repair." And you know what her response was? That I was cynical. Which hit a nerve, I had to admit. I wasn't a cynic; I was a banged-up realist. You live to mi
- 2
A person who believes that all people are motivated by selfishness.
adjective
- 1
Synonym of cynical.
- 2
Relating to the Dog Star.
the cynic, or Sothic, year; cynic cycle
noun
- 1
A member of a sect of Ancient Greek philosophers who believed virtue to be the only good and self-control to be the only means of achieving virtue.
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to the Cynics.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cynic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cynique |
| German | Zyniker, Zynikerin , Kyniker, Kynikerin , kynisch |
| Portuguese | cínico , cínica |
| Spanish | cínico |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cynic come from?
From Middle English cynike, cynicke, from Middle French cynique, from Latin cynicus, from Ancient Greek κυνικός (kunikós), originally derived from the portico in Athens called Κυνόσαργες (Kunósarges), the earliest home of the Cynic school, later reinterpreted as being derived from κύων (kúōn, “dog”), in a contemptuous allusion to the uncouth and aggressive manners adopted by the members of the school.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).