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Machiavelli

American

[mak-ee-uh-vel-ee, mah-kyah-vel-lee] / ˌmæk i əˈvɛl i, ˌmɑ kyɑˈvɛl li /

noun

Niccolò di Bernardo 1469–1527, Italian statesman, political philosopher, and author.

Machiavelli British

/ ˌmækɪəˈvɛlɪ /

noun

Niccolò (nikkoˈlɔ). 1469–1527, Florentine statesman and political philosopher; secretary to the war council of the Florentine republic (1498–1512). His most famous work is Il Principe ( The Prince, 1532)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

For Machiavelli, therefore, politics is inseparable from war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Simons charged investors 5% management plus 44% of profits — and billionaires who negotiate prenups that would make Machiavelli weep begged to get in.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 15, 2025

The cast of Renaissance characters is also large and somewhat ungainly, populated with outsize historical players that include Michelangelo, Savonarola, Raphael, Niccolò Machiavelli, Cesare Borgia, various popes, assorted Medicis and many more.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2024

Jarding, who started as a hostess and server at Machiavelli in 1999, bought the restaurant from her boss in 2013.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2024

He was the Machiavelli of Ohio politics, the classic behind-the-scenes fixer, a shrewd and insightful judge of character or, at least, political opportunity.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

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