| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | acerbic | sharp, bitter, and cutting |
| 2. | acid | sharp, bitter, and sarcastic |
| 3. | agnostic | uncertain or doubtful about claims |
| 4. | anti-human | hostile toward human nature |
| 5. | astute | perceptive and hard to mislead |
| 6. | barbed | pointedly hurtful or sarcastic |
| 7. | battle-scarred | hardened by difficult experience |
| 8. | bilious | bad-tempered and bitter |
| 9. | biting | sharply critical or sarcastic |
| 10. | bitter | resentful and disappointed |
| 11. | black | gloomily pessimistic or bleak |
| 12. | bleak | without hope or optimism |
| 13. | burned | made wary by past harm |
| 14. | cagey | wary and unwilling to trust |
| 15. | cantankerous | bad-tempered and argumentative |
| 16. | caustic | bitingly critical or sarcastic |
| 17. | chary | cautious and reluctant to trust |
| 18. | clear-eyed | realistic and unsentimental |
| 19. | cold-eyed | unsentimental and sharply observant |
| 20. | contemptuous | feeling or showing deep disdain |
| 21. | crabbed | cross, sour, and critical |
| 22. | crusty | rough, gruff, and cynical |
| 23. | curmudgeonly | grumpy, critical, and sour |
| 24. | cutting | sharply hurtful or critical |
| 25. | dark | pessimistic or deeply negative |
| 26. | defeatist | expecting failure and giving up |
| 27. | derisive | expressing ridicule or contempt |
| 28. | despondent | deeply discouraged and pessimistic |
| 29. | disillusioned | having lost faith or ideals |
| 30. | dismal | gloomy and discouraging |
| 31. | distrustful | unwilling to trust others |
| 32. | doubtful | uncertain and hesitant to believe |
| 33. | doubting | not readily believing something |
| 34. | downbeat | pessimistic in tone or outlook |
| 35. | embittered | made resentful by disappointment |
| 36. | experienced | made wary by past events |
| 37. | faithless | lacking belief or trust |
| 38. | fatalistic | believing bad outcomes are inevitable |
| 39. | flippant | dismissively joking about serious things |
| 40. | gloomy | darkly pessimistic or hopeless |
| 41. | grim | stern, bleak, or pessimistic |
| 42. | guarded | careful and not openly trusting |
| 43. | hard-bitten | toughened and distrustful through experience |
| 44. | hard-boiled | tough, unsentimental, and cynical |
| 45. | hard-edged | tough, unsentimental, and sharp |
| 46. | hard-nosed | practical, tough, and unsentimental |
| 47. | hardheaded | stubbornly practical and unsentimental |
| 48. | haughty | proud and contemptuously superior |
| 49. | humanity-hating | showing hatred of humankind |
| 50. | ill-tempered | easily annoyed and bitter |
| 51. | illusionless | free of comforting illusions |
| 52. | incredulous | unwilling or unable to believe |
| 53. | ironic | mocking through contrast or understatement |
| 54. | irreverent | mocking things usually respected |
| 55. | jaded | tired and hardened by experience |
| 56. | jadedly skeptical | skeptical from tired experience |
| 57. | jaundiced | biased by bitterness or suspicion |
| 58. | knowing | worldly and slightly skeptical |
| 59. | leery | suspicious and cautious |
| 60. | low-spirited | sad and lacking hope |
| 61. | misanthropic | disliking or distrusting humankind |
| 62. | mistrustful | lacking trust in people |
| 63. | mistrusting | inclined not to trust |
| 64. | mocking | showing scorn or ridicule |
| 65. | negative | expecting or emphasizing bad aspects |
| 66. | nihilistic | rejecting values and meaning |
| 67. | patronizing | superior and dismissive toward others |
| 68. | pessimistic | expecting bad outcomes |
| 69. | pragmatic | practical rather than idealistic |
| 70. | questioning | inclined to challenge or doubt |
| 71. | rancorous | full of bitter resentment |
| 72. | realistic | accepting unpleasant facts plainly |
| 73. | resentful | angry from perceived unfairness |
| 74. | sarcastic | using sharp, mocking remarks |
| 75. | sardonic | mocking in a bitter way |
| 76. | scathing | severely critical and cutting |
| 77. | scornful | showing contempt or disdain |
| 78. | skeptical | inclined to doubt motives or claims |
| 79. | sneering | smiling or speaking with contempt |
| 80. | sour | resentful, bitter, or negative |
| 81. | street-smart | practically wise and wary |
| 82. | streetwise | experienced and hard to deceive |
| 83. | suspicious | expecting hidden faults or motives |
| 84. | tough-minded | practical, firm, and unsentimental |
| 85. | trenchant | sharply effective and critical |
| 86. | unbelieving | refusing to accept as true |
| 87. | unconvinced | not persuaded something is true |
| 88. | unhopeful | not expecting good results |
| 89. | unillusioned | not holding naive hopes |
| 90. | unpersuaded | not convinced by arguments |
| 91. | unreceptive | not open to persuasion |
| 92. | unromantic | not idealistic or sentimental |
| 93. | unsentimental | not influenced by tender feelings |
| 94. | untrusting | not willing to trust |
| 95. | wary | careful because of possible danger |
| 96. | weathered | toughened by difficult experience |
| 97. | wised-up | made aware of harsh realities |
| 98. | world-weary | tired of life’s disappointments |
| 99. | worldly | experienced and not easily fooled |
| 100. | wry | dryly humorous and skeptical |