Literary notes about Cynical (AI summary)
Authors employ "cynical" as a versatile descriptor to evoke characters’ skeptical, often bitter, attitudes and to underscore a broader commentary on human nature. In some passages, such as when a youthful character follows with an enigmatic purpose ([1]) or when a solitary figure is likened to a bachelor crow determined to travel alone ([2]), the term hints at a distrust of conventional sentiment and social norms. At times, "cynical" is woven into the narrative to connote a sardonic observation of life’s ironies, as when characters fix their disdainful eyes upon others ([3]) or when an attitude is portrayed as a blend of bold protest and reluctant resignation ([4], [5]). This layered usage allows writers to capture both personal disaffection and a more general disillusionment with the world, as seen also in philosophical meditations on human nature ([6], [7]).
- One of the cynical youths with the ivory-headed canes was following her, demanding that the parrot be fed a caramel.
— from The Best Short Stories of 1917, and the Yearbook of the American Short Story - Or was he a cynical bachelor crow, believing that he travels the fastest who travels alone?
— from Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery - After looking contemptuously [Pg 5] into his seed-cup, he crept slowly around the sides of his cage, fixing a cynical eye upon all observers.
— from The Best Short Stories of 1917, and the Yearbook of the American Short Story - But though there is much to be learnt from a cynical devil, I really cannot stand a sentimental one.
— from Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy by Bernard Shaw - He was too clever and too cynical to be really fond of.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - The cynical, ironical fancy of the moment insensibly passes into a religious sentiment.
— from Laws by Plato - —Nature is cruel in her cheerfulness; cynical in her sunrises.
— from The Will to Power: An Attempted Transvaluation of All Values. Book III and IV by Nietzsche
