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Machiavelli

American

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

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.

For Machiavelli, therefore, politics is inseparable from war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 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

Fans can also hit the other Machiavelli bistro that opened in downtown Edmonds in December.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2024

We are all bits and pieces of history and literature and international law, Byron, Tom Paine, Machiavelli, or Christ, it's here.

From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

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