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 • Dec. 12, 2025

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 • Aug. 3, 2024

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

After Ms. Pollok was charged last year, some of her relatives contended that she had fallen prey to a sophisticated Svengali figure.

From New York Times • Sep. 7, 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