Definition of Machiavelli, Niccolò in English:
Machiavelli, Niccolò
proper nounˌmakɪəˈvɛliˌmak-
1(1469–1527), Italian statesman and political philosopher; full name Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli. His best-known work is The Prince (1532), which advises rulers that the acquisition and effective use of power may necessitate unethical methods.
- 1.1as noun a Machiavelli A person perceived as prepared to use unethical means to gain an advantage.
Example sentencesExamples
- Lock becomes the possum caught in the headlights, fascinated and appalled by a Machiavelli she both loved and feared.
- Yet, here he was enduring heat, bugs and primitive conditions and all the while utilizing the manipulative skills of a Machiavelli.
- Three years later those same critics are describing him as a Machiavelli bent on a ‘radical’ agenda at home and abroad.
- Unfortunately, junior Machiavellis claiming to wear the white hat still are running amok among us.
- And the latter-day Machiavellis saw potentially great political significance in the timing of turning points.