# cynic

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsɪnɪk/ · frequency rank #36,510

## Definitions
1. A person whose outlook is scornfully negative.
2. A person who believes that all people are motivated by selfishness.

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **Cyril** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cynic-vs-cyril)
- **cystic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cynic-vs-cystic)
- **cynical** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cynic-vs-cynical)
- **CNC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cnc-vs-cynic)
- **chic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chic-vs-cynic)
- **CNBC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cnbc-vs-cynic)
- **comic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/comic-vs-cynic)
- **civic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/civic-vs-cynic)
- **cubic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cubic-vs-cynic)
- **colic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/colic-vs-cynic)
- **Cyndi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cyndi-vs-cynic)
- **clinic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clinic-vs-cynic)
- **cyclic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cyclic-vs-cynic)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ccynic`, `cnyic`, `cyinc`, `cynci`, `cynicc`, `cynnic`, `cyynic`, `ycnic`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cynic