Machiavelli

American

[mak-ee-uh-vel-ee, mah-kyah-vel-lee] / ˌmæk i əˈvɛl i, ˌmɑ kjɑˈvɛl li /

noun

Niccolò di Bernardo 1469–1527, Italian statesman, political philosopher, and author.

Machiavelli British

/ 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

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Machiavelli

Intellectual figures from Plato to Machiavelli and Thomas Carlyle emphasized personal traits such as superior wisdom and exceptional moral character in choosing leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

Simons charged investors 5% management plus 44% of profits — and billionaires who negotiate prenups that would make Machiavelli weep begged to get in.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 15, 2025

The cast of Renaissance characters is also large and somewhat ungainly, populated with outsize historical players that include Michelangelo, Savonarola, Raphael, Niccolò Machiavelli, Cesare Borgia, various popes, assorted Medicis and many more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2024

Jarding, who started as a hostess and server at Machiavelli in 1999, bought the restaurant from her boss in 2013.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2024

Massasoit was an adroit politician, but the dilemma he faced would have tested Machiavelli.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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