Meanings
- Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), Italian statesman and writer, whose work The Prince (1532) advises that acquiring and exercising power may require unethical methods.
As Mannheim observed, this idea goes back beyond Marx; the hypocrisy of moral ideals, religious beliefs, and philosophical doctrines was pointed out by Machiavelli, and between Marx and Mannheim we can find similar ideas in Nietzsche and Sorel.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume I: The Founders, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: powstanie (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 155
plural Machiavellis
- Someone like Niccolò Machiavelli: a Machiavellian person
Origin
Probably from Italian mal- + chiavello, in which the second component is a diminutive of chiavo (“nail”). The name is attested in a Late Latin document in the form Malclavelli.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian Макиаве́ли
- Макиаве́ли (Makiavéli)Italian statesman and writer
Chinese Mandarin 馬基雅維利 /马基雅维利, 馬基雅弗利 /马基雅弗利
- 馬基雅維利 /马基雅维利 (Mǎjīyǎwéilì)Italian statesman and writer
- 馬基雅弗利 /马基雅弗利 (Mǎjīyǎfúlì)Italian statesman and writer
- 馬基維利 /马基维利Italian statesman and writer
French Machiavel
- MachiavelItalian statesman and writer
Italian Machiavelli
- MachiavelliItalian statesman and writer
Latin Malclavellus
- MalclavellusItalian statesman and writer
Russian Макиаве́лли
- Макиаве́лли (Makiavélli)Italian statesman and writer
Cite this entry
Machiavelli. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Machiavelli
“Machiavelli.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Machiavelli. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Machiavelli,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Machiavelli.
Source: Machiavelli on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.