Meanings
machiavellian1
comparative more machiavellian · superlative most machiavellian
- alternativeAlternative form of Machiavellian.
Machiavellian2
comparative more Machiavellian · superlative most Machiavellian · alternative machiavellian
- Attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods, especially in politics.
Iago is the Machiavellian antagonist in William Shakespeare's play Othello.
2 more examples
The most common reason cited is a Machiavellian one: Police view perjury as a necessary means to achieve the ends of justice.
1999 January, Larry Cunningham, “Taking on Testilying”, in Criminal Justice Ethics, volume 18, →DOI, pages 26–40These are the actions of a club flailing around to make things work, not the 4D chess moves of some Machiavellian puppet master.
2021 August 5, “Messi’s Departure Is a Mess Everyone Could See Coming”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 05 Aug 2021Synonyms: Machiavellic, Machiavellistic
- Related to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli.
As Dr. Spalding notes, the connection that Washington drew "between private morality and national character, between virtue and happiness, hardly seems Machiavellian."
2006, Paul Rahe, Machiavelli's Liberal Republican Legacy
plural Machiavellians · alternative machiavellian
- An unscrupulous schemer.
Synonyms: Machiavellianist, Machiavellist, Machiavel
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveAttempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods, especially in politics.
nounAn unscrupulous schemer.
Origin
From Machiavelli + -an, 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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مَكْيافِلِّيّ
- مَكْيافِلِّيّ (makyavilliyy)attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
Bulgarian лукав, макиаве́лски
- лукав (lukav)attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
- макиаве́лски (makiavélski)related to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli
Catalan maquiavèl·lic
- maquiavèl·licattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
Danish machiavellistisk, machiavellistisk
- machiavellistiskattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
- machiavellistiskrelated to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli
Esperanto makiavela
- makiavelaattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
Finnish machiavellimainen, machiavellilainen
- machiavellimainenattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
- machiavellilainenattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
- häikäilemätönattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
- machiavellilainenrelated to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli
French machiavélique, machiavélien
- machiavéliqueattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
- machiavélienrelated to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli
German machiavellistisch
- machiavellistischattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
Greek μακιαβελικός, μακιαβελικός
- μακιαβελικός (makiavelikós)attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
- μακιαβελικός (makiavelikós)related to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli
Italian machiavellico, machiavelliano
- machiavellicoattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
- machiavellianorelated to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli
Portuguese maquiavélico, maquiaveliano
- maquiavélicoattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
- maquiavelianorelated to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli
Romanian machiavelic
- machiavelicattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
Russian макиавеллистический, макиавеллистический
- макиавеллистический (makiavellističeskij)attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
- макиавеллистический (makiavellističeskij)related to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli
Spanish maquiavélico, maquiavélico
- maquiavélicoattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
- maquiavélicorelated to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli
Swedish machiavellisk
- machiavelliskattempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with machiavellian
All rhymes →Cite this entry
machiavellian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/machiavellian
“machiavellian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/machiavellian. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “machiavellian,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/machiavellian.
Source: machiavellian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.