Mach scale

American

[mak] / mæk /

noun

Psychology.

a scale that measures how much deceit and manipulation one will approve or condone in order to achieve some end.

Etymology

Origin of Mach scale

1965–70; short for Machiavelli, perhaps with play on mach

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.

Recently psychologists found that those who score high on the 100-point Mach scale are also among those likeliest to engage in office bullying.

From BusinessWeek • Nov. 21, 2012

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