by ladyantebellum December 26, 2009
Someone who thinks loves is a really nice thing and a great ideal, but believes that it is something that will realistically never happen for them.
"John really enjoys being around Erika, but he won't ask her out because he's convinced himself that any relationship would inevitably crash and burn. He's such a cynical romantic."
by alaricut September 17, 2008
A cynical optimist rejects the position that 'realism' is the only alternative to the extremes of pessimism and optimism. Instead, cynical optimism emphasizes that a reality can be sustained through a blending of the extremes. Indeed, cynical optimists would argue that the blending best describes the "reality" that "realists" have thus far failed to suitably articulate.
A: So, from a cynical optimists point of view - what IS the meaning of life?
B: We're all going to die. And many of us will die slowly and painfully. Then again, we're probably not going to die today. More importantly, MOST of our days, we're going to live; and only on one of them will we die. That's ... not such a bad deal. And, even if WERE a bad deal, it's the only deal in town. So, I'd make the most of the mundane while you still can.
A: How does that significantly differentiate you from existentialists?
B: Dude! Because I'm submitting to Urban Dictionary, not Cambridge University Press.
B: We're all going to die. And many of us will die slowly and painfully. Then again, we're probably not going to die today. More importantly, MOST of our days, we're going to live; and only on one of them will we die. That's ... not such a bad deal. And, even if WERE a bad deal, it's the only deal in town. So, I'd make the most of the mundane while you still can.
A: How does that significantly differentiate you from existentialists?
B: Dude! Because I'm submitting to Urban Dictionary, not Cambridge University Press.
by AKA GG March 28, 2022
When you believe all of humanity is driven by self-interest, but that humanity also has an innate desire to feel good about themselves, and that's a possibility for a person to act kindly. such as actively recycling out of a sense of legacy/guilt.
I could just be cynically optimistic right now, but I think that guy only helped that lady across the rode so he could feel morally superior .
by realistically depressed January 23, 2018
A somewhat disgruntled individual working within a company. These individuals often quickly climb the internal ranks only to be frustrated at the view from above.
"Doug is a cynical bastard"
by .movement.is.life. July 26, 2007
Someone who wants to be in love and loves the idea, but realizes that love is ultimately self destructive and counter productive to advancing personal goals and or the self
"Marc really wants a girlfriend because he loves the idea of being close to someone and having someone appreciate him, but says that getting wrapped up in a girl would just lead to him losing all sense of self and ambition in her. Talk about a cynical romantic"
by Plaidmonster January 19, 2010
1) Attempting to act detached and “cool” in a way taught to the kids by MTV-affiliated celebrities.
2) A condition often seen among adolescent humans. It typically arises when a individual learns to perceive herself in a objective and rational third-person perspective, but due to her inexperience, fails to appreciate the irony of what existentialist philosophers have coined "The Absurd". The absurd human condition; the understanding of how our lives, on a cosmic scale, are futile and unimportant struggles, yet how we are unable free ourselves from treating our lives with the greatest concern.
Failing to appreciate the irony of her absurd existence, the aspiring teenage cynic then becomes obsessed with damasking the meaningfulness of her own life and the lives of others. This, she believes, will help her reach a more fundamental understanding of something which is somehow more significant and objective than that of her present life. For some people extremely prone to melodrama the condition ends in suicide.
Because the individual believes in the "truth" brought on by stripping away sentimental values culture have taught us to attach to the world, she is often perceived outwardly as cynical. This condition however should not be associated with philosophical cynicism or the kind of cynicism advocated by the likes of (the myth of) Aesop, Oscar Wilde or Dr. Samuel Johnson. The world will often treat the teenage cynic with disdain, confusing her condition with depression or apathy. Trying to solve the problem by offering entertainment of various types, the problem may intensify as the teenage cynic often will be unable to appreciate the entertainment offered, instead deeming it superficial.
2) A condition often seen among adolescent humans. It typically arises when a individual learns to perceive herself in a objective and rational third-person perspective, but due to her inexperience, fails to appreciate the irony of what existentialist philosophers have coined "The Absurd". The absurd human condition; the understanding of how our lives, on a cosmic scale, are futile and unimportant struggles, yet how we are unable free ourselves from treating our lives with the greatest concern.
Failing to appreciate the irony of her absurd existence, the aspiring teenage cynic then becomes obsessed with damasking the meaningfulness of her own life and the lives of others. This, she believes, will help her reach a more fundamental understanding of something which is somehow more significant and objective than that of her present life. For some people extremely prone to melodrama the condition ends in suicide.
Because the individual believes in the "truth" brought on by stripping away sentimental values culture have taught us to attach to the world, she is often perceived outwardly as cynical. This condition however should not be associated with philosophical cynicism or the kind of cynicism advocated by the likes of (the myth of) Aesop, Oscar Wilde or Dr. Samuel Johnson. The world will often treat the teenage cynic with disdain, confusing her condition with depression or apathy. Trying to solve the problem by offering entertainment of various types, the problem may intensify as the teenage cynic often will be unable to appreciate the entertainment offered, instead deeming it superficial.
Statements someone affected by teenage cynicism would typically say:
Teenage cynic 1: To me it's depressing to think about the fact that life is fundamentally without objective meaning and that one day we will all die (and the universe will end).
Teenage cynic 2: Men running around on a field, competing against each other, trying to kick a ball made out of dead skin in opposite directions. Soccer is for retards.
Teenage cynic 1: To me it's depressing to think about the fact that life is fundamentally without objective meaning and that one day we will all die (and the universe will end).
Teenage cynic 2: Men running around on a field, competing against each other, trying to kick a ball made out of dead skin in opposite directions. Soccer is for retards.
by mushytoast October 14, 2008