cynic
UK[ˈsɪnɪk]US[ˈsɪnɪk]
n
A person who believes that people are motivated purely by self-interest and are not sincere or honest.
n
(in ancient Greece) A member of a school of philosophers founded by Antisthenes, characterized by an ostentatious contempt for ease and pleasure.
Morpheme Breakdown
cyn
ic
cyn
dog
ic
adjective-forming suffix
Etymology
The word 'cynic' originates from the Greek kynikos, meaning "dog-like" or "churlish." This was derived from kyōn (dog), a nickname applied to Diogenes of Sinope and his followers, the Cynic philosophers, who rejected social conventions and advocated a life of self-sufficiency and virtue in accordance with nature, a lifestyle their critics likened to that of a dog. Over time, the association with a contemptuous, sneering attitude towards human motives and pleasures evolved. The modern abstract meaning, describing a person distrustful of others' sincerity, developed from this philosophical caricature of a snarling, misanthropic outlook.
Analysis
Structure: cyn (dog) + ic (adjective-forming suffix)
cyn (from Greek kyn-, stem of kyōn, meaning "dog"); ic (from Latin -icus, Greek -ikos, suffix forming adjectives meaning "of, pertaining to, or characteristic of").
Examples
He was such a cynic that he doubted the charity's motives from the start.
Her cynicism about politics made her reluctant to vote.
The ancient Cynics sought happiness through living simply and in harmony with nature.