Machiavel

M3A1C3H4I1A1V4E1L1

noun

A person who follows the principles laid down by Niccolò Machiavelli.

RareScrabble 19

Meanings

nounMachiavel (plural Machiavels)

plural Machiavels

  1. A person who follows the principles laid down by Niccolò Machiavelli.
  2. A schemer or intriguer.

    In pursuit of these ends, agents will find themselves in conflict with morality and we want them to be the sorts of people who can reject morality, yet we don’t want them to be Machiavels in the worst sense.

    ibidem, page 340
    1 more example

    The distinction is between the anonymous Continental Op of the detective novel, the man of honour who must nevertheless walk down mean streets, and the thoroughgoing Machiavel, the man who has learned not to be good.

    1988, Susan Mendus, “The Serpent and the Dove”, in Philosophy, LXIII, № 245, page 339

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

An Anglicisation of the Italian surname Machiavelli, as borne by Niccolò Machiavelli.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Machiavel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Machiavel

MLA

“Machiavel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Machiavel. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Machiavel,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Machiavel.

Source: Machiavel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.