Machiavellian - English meaning

adjective

Clever or skilful, especially in a crafty or cunning way.

Usage examples:

Her artful wiles

adjective

Intelligent and skillful, esp. in persuading, sometimes without being completely honest

Usage examples:

His politics was an artful blend of high-minded patriotism and malicious gossip about his opponents…

adjective

Given to or involved in conspiring to do something immoral, illegal, or harmful.

Usage examples:

A heartless and conniving person

verb

Secretly allow (something immoral, illegal, or harmful) to occur.

Usage examples:

I did not connive in the production of these documents

adjective

Planning secretly, esp. in doing something wrong

Usage examples:

A cold, conniving man

adjective

Clever at achieving one's aims by indirect or deceitful methods.

Usage examples:

A crafty crook faked an injury to escape from prison

adjective

Skillful in argument but likely to be dishonest

Usage examples:

A crafty lawyer

adjective

Having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion.

Usage examples:

A cunning look came into his eyes

noun

Skill in achieving one's ends by deceit.

Usage examples:

A statesman to whom cunning had come as second nature

adjective

Skillful in planning and ready to deceive people in order to get what you want

Usage examples:

A cunning scheme, they made their way safely back through enemy territory by stealth and cunning.

adjective

Guilty of or involving deceit; deceiving or misleading others.

Usage examples:

A deceitful politician

adjective

Marked by deliberate deceptiveness

adjective

Acting in a calculating, deceitful way.

Usage examples:

A designing little minx

verb

Decide upon the look and functioning of (a building, garment, or other object), by making a detailed drawing of it.

Usage examples:

A number of architectural students were designing a factory

adjective

Showing a skilful use of underhand tactics to achieve goals.

Usage examples:

He's as devious as a politician needs to be

adjective

Using indirect ways to get what you want, esp. without showing your real purpose

Usage examples:

Devious methods, they went by a devious route.

adjective

Using indirect ways to get what you want, especially without showing your real purpose

Usage examples:

Officials called the company 'devious and underhand'., management seems to have acted deviously and…

adjective

Behaving or prone to behave in an untrustworthy, deceitful, or insincere way.

Usage examples:

He was a dishonest hypocrite prepared to exploit his family

adjective

Not honest

Usage examples:

He’s been dishonest with us, and i’ll never trust him again.

noun

The act of cheating or tricking someone by hiding your real intentions

Usage examples:

Several high-ranking officials were named in the scandal, accused of fraud and double dealing.

adjective

Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects.

Usage examples:

Sexual harassment is a serious and insidious problem

adjective

Exploiting immediate opportunities, especially regardless of planning or principle.

Usage examples:

An opportunistic political lightweight

adjective

Deceitful and untrustworthy.

Usage examples:

A perfidious lover

adjective

Unable to be trusted, or showing no loyalty

Usage examples:

She described the new criminal bill as a perfidious attack on democracy.

adjective

Given to or involved in making secret and underhand plans.

Usage examples:

They had mean, scheming little minds

noun

The activity or practice of making secret and underhand plans.

Usage examples:

His own colleagues accused him of scheming

verb

Make plans, especially in a devious way or with intent to do something illegal or wrong.

adjective

Having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature.

Usage examples:

A sly, manipulative woman

adjective

Not letting others know true opinions or intentions, or dishonest

Usage examples:

She thought that by being sly, she could fool people., a cat can be a very sly animal., he winked s…

adjective

Guilty of or involving betrayal or deception.

Usage examples:

A treacherous gestapo agent

adjective

Tending to betray

adjective

(of the ground or the sea) extremely dangerous, esp. because of bad weather conditions

Usage examples:

Freezing rain made driving treacherous., he was treacherous, or at least sneaky.

adjective

(of a task, problem, etc.) requiring care and skill because difficult or awkward.

Usage examples:

Applying eyeliner can be a tricky business

adjective

(of a piece of work or a problem) difficult to deal with and needing careful attention or skill

Usage examples:

Removing scar tissue can be a very tricky operation., he’s a tricky fellow – you can’t always trust…

adjective

Not to be trusted

Usage examples:

He’s a two-faced cheater.

adjective

Having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair.

Usage examples:

Unscrupulous landlords might be tempted to harass existing tenants

adjective

Willing to lie or cheat to succeed

Usage examples:

An unscrupulous salesman

adjective

Behaving in a way that is dishonest or unfair in order to get what you want

Usage examples:

Unscrupulous dealers/employers/operators counterfeit documents make it easier for unscrupulous empl…

adjective

Skilled at gaining an advantage, especially deceitfully.

Usage examples:

His wily opponents

adjective

Quick to think of things, having a very good understanding of situations and possibilities, and often willing to use tricks to achieve an aim

Usage examples:

A wily hunter