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• Faustian
  Faustian

  adjective

  of, relating to, or characteristic of Faust.
• faustian
  faustian

  adjective

  of or relating to Faust, esp reminiscent of his bargain with the devil

Faustian

American  

[fou-stee-uhn] / ˈfaʊ sti ən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Faust.

   a Faustian novel.

2. sacrificing spiritual values for power, knowledge, or material gain.

   a Faustian pact with the Devil.

3. characterized by spiritual dissatisfaction or torment.

4. possessed with a hunger for knowledge or mastery.

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faustian British  

/ ˈfaʊstɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Faust, esp reminiscent of his bargain with the devil

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Etymology

Origin of Faustian

First recorded in 1875–80; Faust + -ian

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Faustian faustian

Other versions of the Faustian bargain tale end in regret; in this one, Johnson is content with his choice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025

“I remember being in the set and being like, ‘This is so cool that I can have my own experience inside this Faustian experience,’” Baron says of “Life & Trust.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025

“The Apprentice,” which is labeled as inspired by true events, portrays Trump’s dealings with Cohn as a Faustian bargain that guided his rise as a businessman and, later, as a politician.

From Seattle Times ● May 21, 2024

"We have made the case, in our "Global Warming in the Pipeline" paper, that the 'something else' is that the first payment has come due for our Faustian Aerosol Bargain," Hansen said.

From Salon ● Mar. 18, 2024

Embedded in the history of the gene is “the quest for eternal youth, the Faustian myth of abrupt reversal of fortune, and our own century’s flirtation with the perfectibility of man.”

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

What these films do share is a critique of the music industry and the faustian pact entered into by musicians and their fans.

From The Guardian ● May 24, 2019