What is an optimistic cynic?
You’re that person who has genuine faith in humanity, but also wants to cut the next jerk who jumps in front of you at a subway turnstile. Basically, you’re a cynical optimist — two sides of humanity’s coin, half hopeful, half jaded, all confused. We are not exactly a rare breed these days.
Can you be cynical and optimistic at the same time?
Maybe it’s illogical and even ill-advised to define ourselves as solely optimistic or cynical. Perhaps adhering to one or the other, or even thinking of them as mutually exclusive ideas, is not only unrealistic, but it’s ignoring the fact that the two can actually work wonderfully together.
What is the meaning of being optimistic?
Optimism is a mental attitude characterized by hope and confidence in success and a positive future. Optimists are those who expect good things to happen, where pessimists instead predict unfavorable outcomes.
Is it bad to be a cynical person?
This kind of attitude is bad enough when it happens on an individual level, but at the societal level, it’s toxic. In a time where action is paramount, cynicism creates a paralyzing effect. It causes predatory delay, which is effectively the same as losing.
Does cynical mean sarcastic?
Cynical, pessimistic, sarcastic, satirical imply holding a low opinion of humanity. Cynical suggests a disbelief in the sincerity of human motives: cynical about honesty. Sarcastic refers to sneering or making cutting jibes: sarcastic about a profession of faith.
Is being a cynic good?
Of course, cynicism is neither wholly good nor bad. It’s easy to see how you can be too cynical, but it’s also possible to be not cynical enough. There are lazy forms of cynicism of which this is certainly true. But at its best, cynicism is a greater force for progress than optimism.
What does it mean to be a cynical Optimist?
You have smiled at babies and flipped off cab drivers in the same breath. Basically, you’re a cynical optimist — two sides of humanity’s coin, half hopeful, half jaded, all confused. We are not exactly a rare breed these days.
Which is the best definition of the word cynic?
1 : a faultfinding captious critic especially : one who believes that human conduct is motivated wholly by self-interest Of course, there will always be cynics when companies make good-faith apologies and seek to follow through. — Andrew Ross Sorkin Other Words from cynic Synonyms Did you know? More Example Sentences Learn More About cynic
What did Diogenes do to become a Cynic?
Diogenes rejected social conventions and declared that whatever was natural and easy could not be indecent and therefore can and should be done in public. This shamelessness earned him the Greek epithet ho kyōn, “the dog.” In English, however, cynic and cynical have more to do with distrust of motives than shamelessness.
Where did the name of the Cynic school come from?
Antisthenes is said to have taught at a gymnasium outside Athens called the Kynosarges, from which the name of the school, kynikoi, literally, “doglike ones,” may be derived. On the other hand, the name is most closely associated with the most famous Cynic philosopher, Diogenes of Sinope.