Can you use "cynicism" in the same way as "witticism"?

Solution 1:

"Witticism" is a fossilized play on words that comes from John Dryden--a portmanteau of "wit" and "criticism." So "criticism" is the relevant comparison.

"Criticism" can be either a count noun or a mass noun, but "witticism" seems to have been born and remained a count noun.

Then, "witticism" is and can be a count noun just because "criticism" can be a count noun, and it seems "criticism" is a count noun (in normal usage) just in being a nominalization of the verb "criticize." That is, in normal usage it counts singular instances of criticizing. On the other hand, "cynicism" nominalizes a state or property. There's no grammatical problem with counting cynicisms, but it would be a heroically abstract pursuit. No doubt some or other continental theorist talks about "cynicisms" but normal people don't count them.

It seems like the two words just don't have anything in common besides the "-ism" suffix. Edit: "Cynicism" doesn't have an analogous verb form.

What's the word for two events or people that happen in the same place but at different points in history, similar to contemporary?

How can I remove negators: potential shouldn't be so ‘fanciful or remote’ that the proferens can't be supposed to desire protection from it?

Using "gifted" as a verb [duplicate]

Obtaining a series that converges to $\frac{\pi}{2\sqrt{2}}$ using Fourier series.

Finding $\int \frac {dx}{\sqrt {x^2 + 16}}$

Zeroes of the Fourier transform of bump functions

Continuity defined for rational and irrational numbers

Finding a formula to sum natural numbers up to $n$ [duplicate]

How can it be possible to localize a ring at a set with zero divisors?

Proof that derivative of a function at a point is the slope of the tangent at the point

Is there a more elegant way of proving $\langle (1,2)(3,4), (1,2,3,4,5) \rangle = A_5$