In my experience cynics are just people who are afraid of the things they wish to be true, never becoming true, so they start to prophetically denounce the possibility of them ever being true to lift themselves of the curse of the hopes they hold deep inside. A bit like pessimists, but with one degree more of emotional disconnection — a disconnection of which they are sometimes proud of. Everybody knows the cynic telling their disappointed collegue how the signs have been there all along, how they should have known. Hope and actual positive attempts as a sign of being naive.

It is a defense mechanism, that they often confuse with "realism". A defense mechanism that also can successfully protect them of ever becoming happier or being part of any improvement in their environment.

The more you can actually do about it the less sense cynicism makes.