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.

---

faustian British  

/ ˈfaʊstɪən /

adjective

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

---

Etymology

Origin of Faustian

First recorded in 1875–80; Faust + -ian

Example Sentences

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

Maggie’s Faustian trade of other people’s pain for her stature and comfort, however, has enough familiarity to make some of us stuff down a frustrated scream.

From Salon • Oct. 16, 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

However President Jokowi need only look next door, at the Philippines, to see how such a Faustian arrangement can fall apart.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 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