Iago

American

[ee-ah-goh] / iˈɑ goʊ /

noun

the villain in Shakespeare's Othello.

Iago Cultural

The treacherous villain in the play Othello, by William Shakespeare. As adviser to Othello, a general of Venice, Iago lies to his master and eventually drives him to murder his wife.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As Roderigo, whom Iago manipulates like a bored puppeteer idly pulling the strings, Daniel Velez is idiotically gullible.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

In this agonizing final scene, we meet a new Iago.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

But Cyngor Gwynedd councillor Craig ab Iago said Article 4 being quashed was "disappointing".

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Like Iago, Richard confides his schemes to the audience before enacting them.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Yes, even Iago was a little lamb too.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023