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Faustian bargain

Cultural  
  1. Faust, in the legend, traded his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge. To “strike a Faustian bargain” is to be willing to sacrifice anything to satisfy a limitless desire for knowledge or power.


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.

See Examples For:

OpenAI considers a Faustian bargain with the U.S. government.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Would I have made the Faustian bargain from a place of raw desperation?

From Slate ● Apr. 23, 2026

It’s a clever parody of the Faustian bargain we’ve made with social media, relinquishing our privacy for access to the comments, likes and images of others.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 29, 2022

Nearby Rosedale also claims to be the site of Johnson’s Faustian bargain.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2021

The Faustian bargain between humans and grains was not the only deal our species made.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

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