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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.

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

A new version of the original Faustian bargain could emerge.

From Slate • Nov. 7, 2023

Still, other projects may conjure comparisons to the story of Rosemary Woodhouse and her husband, Guy, a man who is easily duped into a Faustian bargain thanks to his single-mindedness and inferiority complex.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2023

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

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