Definition of "cynicism" []

• An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others: the public cynicism aroused by governmental scandals. (noun)
• A scornfully or jadedly negative comment or act: "She arrived at a philosophy of her own, all made up of her private notations and cynicisms” ( Henry James). (noun)
• The beliefs of the ancient Cynics. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In the spirit of Barack Obama, he warned them that cynicism is the enemy, “cynicism” being the code word du jour for any skepticism about liberal proposals to perfect mankind under the tutelage of a benevolent government."
• "And at the same time, if I may, you often decry what you call a cynicism that you believe is pervasive in Washington, but given the amounts of money that were raised last year, the way they were raised and some of the explanations for the way they were raised, isn't the public entitled to a little bit of healthy skepticism, if not cynicism, about the entire process?"
• "We are still scared of the idea of power in the hands of the people and our own cynicism is part of the problem. on March 29, 2010 at 11: 45 pm allcoppedout"