Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MACHIAVELLIAN
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pronounce
MACHIAVELLIAN:
Say it "MOCK ee uh VELL ee yun."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Today we're checking out the devilish word Machiavellian, which can mean ruthless, cunning, calculating, self-serving, and un_____ulous.
Can you recall that last synonym? It means "unbothered by feelings of guilt," or more literally, "feeling no pebbles of moral doubt."
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) was the Italian ruler who wrote The Prince. I'm about to oversimplify it, but The Prince is an instruction manual on how to keep a tight grasp on political power. In it, Machiavelli wrote that a ruler should be willing to use force, violence, and deceit, and that all these evil, ruthless, immoral actions are fine because they help the ruler reach his goals. In other words, the end justifies the means. Was Machiavelli brilliant? Sure. Was he a psychopath? Also sure.
So, in English, we've used some form of the word "Machiavellian" since 1566 to describe people and things that are evil or ruthless in pursuit of their goals. Machiavellian people, in other words, behave terribly but excuse themselves because they believe their goals are worth it.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective, the proper kind, so you capitalize it: "a Machiavellian king;" "Their approach is Machiavellian."
Other forms worth knowing:
You can call someone a Machiavelli, or a Machiavel, to say that they're a ruthless schemer.
If you need a noun for the ruthless scheming, call it Machiavellianism.
how to use it:
"Machiavellian" is a fun, super-specific, extra-harsh word.
You don't hear it every day, so it grabs attention, but it's familiar enough to be clear to most listeners.
So, whether you're referring to people in real life or fiction, when you want to emphasize how cold, cunning, controlling, and immoral someone's behavior or attitude is, call that person Machiavellian. Or, talk about their Machiavellian plot, scheme, attitude, personality, politics, etc.
examples:
"Royal court melodrama derives its pleasures from the mash-up of manners and the Machiavellian — the tasty paradox of wickedness expressed politely."
— Jeremy Egner, New York Times, 4 May 2014
"A cunning man, Robinson is a forceful speaker... a Machiavellian politician masquerading as a football coach."
— Doug Krikorian, Seattle Times, 16 December 1990
has this page helped you understand "Machiavellian"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "Machiavellian" without saying "cruel" or "ruthless."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) (does something evil) with Machiavellian glee."
Example 1: "Mrs. Coulter spends her time charming, lying, and murdering with Machiavellian glee."
Example 2: "This is a man, after all, who spent decades climbing the rungs of power in Washington, shoving rivals aside with Machiavellian glee."
— Fred Kaplan, New York Times, 28 March 2014
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for this month is "Provocative Verbs."
Check out the headline below. Originally, it included some highly emotional verb, like "bushwhack," "agonize," or "soar." But I've swapped it out for an emotionless one.
Try to restore the strong feelings that the headline originally evoked by choosing your own highly emotional verb to swap back in. For example, instead of "St. Jude Keeps Billions While Many of Its Families Use Their Savings," you might come up with "St. Jude Hoards Billions While Many of Its Families Drain Their Savings," the original provocative headline from ProPublica.
Scroll all the way down to see the original headline. You might think of the same verbs as the original writers did, or yours might be even spicier.
Try this one today:
From ProPublica: "When You're a Billionaire, Your Hobbies Can Reduce Your Tax Bill."
review this word:
1.
A near opposite of MACHIAVELLIAN is
A. PURE.
B. HONORABLE.
C. GLORIOUS.
2.
Wikipedia describes the character J. R. Ewing as Machiavellian, "_____."
A. the matriarch of the Ewing family, and a strong and loving mother
B. always fighting against the considerable suspicion and hostility from within the family
C. a covetous, egocentric, manipulative and amoral oil baron with psychopathic tendencies
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Today we're checking out the devilish word Machiavellian, which can mean ruthless, cunning, calculating, self-serving, and un_____ulous.
Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) was the Italian ruler who wrote The Prince. I'm about to oversimplify it, but The Prince is an instruction manual on how to keep a tight grasp on political power. In it, Machiavelli wrote that a ruler should be willing to use force, violence, and deceit, and that all these evil, ruthless, immoral actions are fine because they help the ruler reach his goals. In other words, the end justifies the means. Was Machiavelli brilliant? Sure. Was he a psychopath? Also sure.
Part of speech:
"Machiavellian" is a fun, super-specific, extra-harsh word.
"Royal court melodrama derives its pleasures from the mash-up of manners and the Machiavellian — the tasty paradox of wickedness expressed politely."
Explain the meaning of "Machiavellian" without saying "cruel" or "ruthless."
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) (does something evil) with Machiavellian glee."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |