Machiavellian
See also: machiavellian
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
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 edit
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˌmæk.i.əˈvɛl.i.ən/, /ˌmæk.jəˈvɛl.i.ən/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˌmɑk.i.əˈvɛl.i.ən/, /ˌmæk.jəˈvɛl.i.ən/
,Audio (US) (file) Audio (US) (file) Audio (AU) (file)
Adjective edit
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.
- 1999 January, Larry Cunningham, “Taking on Testilying”, in Criminal Justice Ethics, volume 18, , pages 26–40:
- The most common reason cited is a Machiavellian one: Police view perjury as a necessary means to achieve the ends of justice.
- Related to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli.
- 2006, Mark Vernon, “Plato or Machiavelli”, in Philosophy and Life:
- It is Machiavellian, in the sense that it revolves around the question of how to maintain power.
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods
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Noun edit
Machiavellian (plural Machiavellians)