Mephistopheles

[ mef-uh-stof-uh-leez ]

/ ˌmɛf əˈstɒf əˌliz /

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See synonyms for Mephistopheles on Thesaurus.com

noun

Medieval Demonology. one of the seven chief devils and the tempter of Faust.

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showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

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Also Me·phis·to

[muh-fis-toh]. /məˈfɪs toʊ/.

OTHER WORDS FROM Mephistopheles

Meph·is·to·phe·li·an, Meph·is·to·phe·le·an

[‐stuh-fee-lee-uhn], /‐stəˈfi li ən/, adjective

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

How to use Mephistopheles in a sentence

Every Czech family’s photo album has the requisite picture of a wide-eyed, screaming child who absolutely lost it when Mom and Dad rolled out the welcome mat for Mephistopheles.
I brought my kids to the Devil for Christmas. And they’re fine. Right?|Petula Dvorak|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
Underneath wisps of tawny hair, rather Mephistophelian, were clear-blue eyes, brilliant and sharp as a brigands.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
A halo still surrounds the Mephistophelian figure which incarnates the Hohenzollern spirit.
German Problems and Personalities|Charles Sarolea
What he saw caused a sort of Mephistophelian grin to curve his lips.
Ann Arbor Tales|Karl Edwin Harriman

Van Slyck's eyes danced with satisfaction, and his saturnine smile was almost Mephistophelian.
The Argus Pheasant|John Charles Beecham
One of the guests, a diplomatist, of Mephistophelian aspect and species, took advantage of it to turn the conversation.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 453|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles

Mephisto (məˈfɪstəʊ)

/ (ˌmɛfɪˈstɒfɪˌliːz) /

noun

a devil in medieval mythology and the one to whom Faust sold his soul in the Faust legend

Derived forms of Mephistopheles

Mephistophelean or Mephistophelian (ˌmɛfɪstəˈfiːlɪən), adjective

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

Cultural definitions for Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles

[ (mef-i-stof-uh-leez) ]

In the drama Faust by Goethe, a devil who tempts Faust into selling his soul to the powers of darkness. Mephistopheles also appears, with his name spelled Mephistophilis, in the sixteenth-century English play Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe.