Svengali

American  

[sven-gah-lee, sfen-] / svɛnˈgɑ li, sfɛn- /

noun

1. a person who completely dominates another, usually with selfish or sinister motives.

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Svengali British  

/ svɛnˈɡɑːlɪ /

noun

1. a person who controls another's mind, usually with sinister intentions

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Etymology

Origin of Svengali

First recorded in 1940–45; after the evil hypnotist of the same name in the novel Trilby (1894) by George Du Maurier

Example Sentences

She’s susceptible to a Svengali yet doesn’t want anyone to tell her how to write her songs.

From Los Angeles Times

When you talk about the male Svengali, I want to talk about Scooter Braun, and what happened when he purchased the masters to Taylor’s first six albums.

From Salon

Additionally, they trickled out the role of gullible parents, who had outsourced the supervision of their children to Svengali coaches who were purportedly their tickets to athletic success, college scholarships and Olympic medals.

From Salon

Shinn is by no means the first entertainment industry Svengali to profit off other people’s talent and physical labor.

From Salon

Later, McLaren would boast he was a "con man", a Svengali who twisted popular culture into nothing more than a convenient marketing gimmick.

From BBC