mephistophelean
- adjective
- /ˌmɛfɪˈstɒfəlɪən/
- Literature
:
mefistofélico
- His mephistophelean plan to manipulate his rivals was both cunning and ruthless.
Examples
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She arched an eyebrow with a mephistophelean smile, hinting at her hidden intentions.
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The villain's mephistophelean laughter echoed through the dark, empty hall.
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His mephistophelean schemes often led to unexpected disasters.
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The villain had a mephistophelean charm that captivated everyone.
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The villain's mephistophelean charm made it easy for him to deceive everyone around him.
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Her mephistophelean plan involved tricking the competition into revealing their secrets.
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The character's mephistophelean traits were evident in his clever manipulation of the truth.
Synonyms
91
8.1
Extremely evil and cruel, as if caused by the devil
44
8.2
Very evil and cruel, like a devil
26
7.4
Connected with Satan or with evil beliefs and rituals
17
4.4
Being very naughty in a playful, clever way
14
7.3
Very bad and cruel, often hurting other people
1
7.8
Very evil and cruel, like the devil
1
9.9
Having a rebellious nature and a desire for secret knowledge
Very clever and cruel like a devil
Antonyms
How Wicked
Surface Forms
Morphology
mephistophelean = Mephistopheles (semi-transparent) = Mephisto + ean
The adjective is formed regularly from the proper noun Mephistopheles, but the base is culturally specific and not likely to be known by average learners.
Etymology
The word mephistophelean comes from the name Mephistopheles, the devil who tricks people in the famous story of Faust. So something mephistophelean is 'devilish', meaning very clever and wicked, like a dangerous trick or smile.