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

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 • Nov. 24, 2024

Mercifully, the HBO series about a pop star and her Svengali wraps Sunday, but not before tarnishing the reputation of co-creator and co-star Abel Tesfaye.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2023

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 • Dec. 29, 2022

Wohl is also determined to refine the popular impression that her little sister was an innocent done in by Warhol’s Svengali.

From New York Times • Aug. 16, 2022

Contemptuous of Oppenheimer’s arguments against the Super, he depicted Oppenheimer as a Svengali ruthlessly hypnotizing some of the world’s most sophisticated scientists into joining his opposition campaign.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik