/ ˈsɪnɪk; NAmE / noun
1.
a person who believes that people only do things to help themselves, rather than for good or sincere reasons
2.
a person who does not believe that sth good will happen or that sth is important :
Cynics will say that there is not the slightest chance of success.
► cyni·cism / ˈsɪnɪsɪzəm; NAmE / noun [ U ]:
In a world full of cynicism she was the one person I felt I could trust.
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. originally relating to a member of a school of ancient Greek philosophers founded by Antisthenes: from Latin cynicus , from Greek kunikos ; probably originally from Kunosarges , the name of a school where Antisthenes taught, but popularly taken to mean doglike, churlish, kuōn , kun- , dog becoming a nickname for a Cynic.