Cynic (Noun)
Meaning 1
Someone who is critical of the motives of others.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Related Words
Meaning 2
A member of a group of ancient Greek philosophers who advocated the doctrine that virtue is the only good and that the essence of virtue is self-control.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- Antisthenes was a cynic who lived a life of austerity and taught that the only way to achieve true freedom was through the rejection of external goods and desires.
- As a cynic, Diogenes renounced all worldly possessions and lived in a clay pot, where he spent his days philosophizing and critiquing the values of his fellow Athenians.
- Crate's rejection of luxury and comfort led many to regard him as a cynic, a member of the ascetic movement that saw materialism as the source of human corruption.
- With his strident advocacy of moral simplicity and rejection of convention, Cyniscus came to embody the ideal of the cynic, using humor and irony to subvert societal norms.
- Socrates was deeply influenced by the teachings of Antisthenes, a cynic who saw the pursuit of wealth and power as destructive and corrupting to the human spirit.