Cynicism is not a person. It is the attitude of someone who is not willing to believe that people have good, honest, or sincere reasons for doing something. A person with this view thinks other people are mostly looking after themselves, and that kind words, public promises, or “we care about you” talk often hide a private gain. We use it a lot about politics, advertising, charity campaigns, and office life — anywhere a smile might be a tool. It is a fairly common word in news and everyday talk, and it sounds negative: you are saying the speaker has little trust left. People do stretch it. Someone may call their own cynicism “healthy,” meaning they will not be fooled easily; that use is looser and a bit proud. Though actually, the old Greek Cynics were a school of thinkers who lived very simply and laughed at empty show. English kept the sharp distrust and dropped most of that philosophy. The person is a cynic; the adjective is cynical. Cynicism is the name of the stance.