Definition of "Machiavellian"

Machiavellian

/ˌmæk.i.əˈvɛl.i.ən/

adjective
comparative more Machiavellian, superlative most Machiavellian
1. Attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods, especially in politics or in advancing one's career.
  Quotations
  The most common reason cited is a Machiavellian one: Police view perjury as a necessary means to achieve the ends of justice.
  1999 January, Larry Cunningham, “Taking on Testilying”, in Criminal Justice Ethics, volume 18, pages 26–40
2. Related to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli.
  Quotations
  It is Machiavellian, in the sense that it revolves around the question of how to maintain power.
  2006, Mark Vernon, “Plato or Machiavelli”, in Philosophy and Life
noun
plural Machiavellians
1. A ruthless schemer.