Machiavellianism

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Machiavellian +‎ -ism.

Noun

Machiavellianism (countable and uncountable, plural Machiavellianisms)

  1. (philosophy, politics) The political philosophy of Machiavelli, especially the realist doctrine which emphasizes the maintenance of the state above ethical concerns.
    Synonyms: realpolitik, Machiavellism, raison d'etat, realism
    • 2010, W. Julian Korab-Karpowicz, Political Realism in International Relations:
      "Machiavellianism is a radical type of political realism that is applied to both domestic and international affairs."
    • 2001, Tim Spiekerman, Shakespeare's Political Realism: The English History Plays, SUNY Press, →ISBN, page 54:
      Let us turn, finally, to the war itself, and ask ourselves if it can be understood as the victory of decency over Machiavellianism.
  2. (countable) A political maneuver that exemplifies the philosophy. Unsavory government politics.
  3. (personality psychology) A psychological construct centered on interpersonal manipulation, lack of empathy, cold affect, and indifference to morality.
    • 2011, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Sophie von Stumm, Adrian Furnham, The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Individual Differences, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN:
      Machiavellianism refers to interpersonal strategies that advocate self-interest, deception, and manipulation, so it would seem inherently related to core psychopathy and narcissism.
    • 2025, David L. Dickinson, “Dark versus light personality types and moral choice”, in European Economic Review, →DOI:
      A cluster of dark personality traits named the “dark tetrad” (psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism, sadism) has attracted the interest of researchers studying personality and decision making.

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