Timeline for Who is cynical?

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6 events

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Apr 10, 2019 at 1:56	comment	added	Many Tongues		I do agree that it does really appear that the word "cynical" has gone through a shift in meaning, possibly recently. I don't recall, for instance, while growing up, that people used it in this new sense, which (to me, at least) confuses AND conflates meaning. It always meant the first sense, having the belief of a cynic. Thank you for this exchange.
Apr 10, 2019 at 1:46	comment	added	Many Tongues		I was referring to the word constructions, namely the root word, "homicide," and the derivative adjectival form, "homicidal." Normally, when English derives an adjective from a noun, the words have related meanings, not conflicting meanings. I thought that was clear,sorry. I wasn't comparing the meanings of the two root words "homicide" and "cynic" or their adjectival derivatives, only their constructions.
Apr 8, 2019 at 10:02	comment	added	RaceYouAnytime		@ManyTongues Yes, I was focusing on the different usages of "cynic" and "cynical" based on the original title of the post ("who is a cynic"). The word "cynical" has undergone recent shifts in usage that I don't think apply as broadly to "cynic." I'm not sure what you're saying regarding homicide / homicidal, I don't think that's an analogous comparison.
Apr 7, 2019 at 21:42	comment	added	Many Tongues		Your analysis is interesting, but I think extraordinarily, complex to explain a simple English construction. Also note that both senses of the definition given in the post I referenced are for "cynical," not "cynic."
Apr 7, 2019 at 21:15	comment	added	Many Tongues		If person A commits homicide against person B, I think it's pretty clear that we would say that A had been homicidal. I am not aware that anyone would normally call person B homicidal.
Apr 6, 2019 at 23:11	history	answered	RaceYouAnytime	CC BY-SA 4.0