Machiavellian
See also: machiavellian
English
WOTD – 16 June 2008
Alternative forms
Etymology
From the name of the Italian statesman and writer Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), whose work The Prince (1532) advises that acquiring and exercising power may require unethical methods.
Pronunciation
Adjective
Machiavellian (comparative more Machiavellian, superlative most Machiavellian)
- Attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods, especially in politics or in advancing one's career.
- Related to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli.
- 2006, Mark Vernon, Philosophy and Life, "Plato or Machiavelli",
- It is Machiavellian, in the sense that it revolves around the question of how to maintain power.
- 2006, Mark Vernon, Philosophy and Life, "Plato or Machiavelli",
Derived terms
Translations
attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
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