Machiavelli

[ mak-ee-uh-vel-ee; Italian mah-kyah-vel-lee ]

/ ˌmæk i əˈvɛl i; Italian ˌmɑ kyɑˈvɛl li /

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noun

Nic·co·lò di Ber·nar·do

[neek-kaw-lawdee ber-nahr-daw], /ˌnik kɔˈlɔ di bɛrˈnɑr dɔ/, 1469–1527, Italian statesman, political philosopher, and author.

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SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

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Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Words nearby Machiavelli

Machen, macher, ma chère, machete, Mache unit, Machiavelli, Machiavellian, Machiavellianism, Machiavelli, Niccolò, machi chips, machicolate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Machiavelli in a sentence

In issuing his sentence, the judge pronounced Cook the Machiavelli of the twentieth century.
The Antarctic Expedition That Changed Modern Medicine|Julian Sancton|May 12, 2021|Time
You also argue forcefully against the Hitler-as-Machiavelli argument—that he killed Jews for political reasons.
Ron Rosenbaum on Hitler, Hollywood, and Quantifying Evil|William O’Connor|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Impossible plot machinations have been ceded to Machiavelli and the Italian states.
A Fantasy Titan Invades the YA Kingdom|William O’Connor|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After years of quiet circulation, it was banned, but Machiavelli copied it.
The Book That Changed the World|Jimmy So|October 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST

With Schiff we get the true woman, who was brilliant, cunning, and could out-Machiavelli any male ruler.
The Daily Beast's Favorite Books of 2010|The Daily Beast|December 18, 2010|DAILY BEAST
In a business ethics class, you can use that as an example instead of Machiavelli, which provides a way into the concept.
Reality TV Invades Campus|Anna David|August 17, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Machiavelli states that Uguccione fell ill, and had no part in the battle, which was won by Castruccio.
Florence and Northern Tuscany with Genoa|Edward Hutton
He finds his guide and leader in "The Prince," written by Machiavelli.
The Blot on the Kaiser's 'Scutcheon|Newell Dwight Hillis
I went to the Teatro Machiavelli to see what effect had been produced there.
Castellinaria|Henry Festing Jones
The originality of Machiavelli in his Mandragora was not of the sort to encourage a departure from the beaten track.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the first|Count Carlo Gozzi
That alone was enough to make Machiavelli, the father of modern foreign policy, turn in his grave.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind|Herbert George Wells

British Dictionary definitions for Machiavelli

Machiavelli

/ (ˌmækɪəˈvɛlɪ) /

noun

Niccolò (nikkoˈlɔ). 1469–1527, Florentine statesman and political philosopher; secretary to the war council of the Florentine republic (1498–1512). His most famous work is Il Principe (The Prince, 1532)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012