as in architect
a person who designs and guides a plan or undertaking
the real mastermind behind the embezzlement scheme
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to engineer
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
he was charged with masterminding a plan to redecorate the suite of offices without seriously disrupting business operations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mastermind
David Morgan, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2025
My favorite episode purportedly delivering this lesson involves the death of Charles Bluhdorn, the mastermind of the behemoth conglomerate Gulf & Western Industries, which reigned over the stock market from the 1960s through the 1970s.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Spagnuolo may hold the ultimate tiebreaker in our formula, having masterminded the Giants defense that stifled the 18-1 Patriots in Super Bowl 42.
—Bill Speros, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mastermind
Noun
Hackman's criminal mastermind was wily, vain, cantankerous, and a bit too sure of himself.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2025
My favorite episode purportedly delivering this lesson involves the death of Charles Bluhdorn, the mastermind of the behemoth conglomerate Gulf & Western Industries, which reigned over the stock market from the 1960s through the 1970s.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
Few government departments or traditions seem to be off limits for the administration's aggressive changes in policy or reductions in work force, masterminded by Mr. Trump’s sidekick, the billionaire disrupter-in-chief, Elon Musk.
—Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Spagnuolo may hold the ultimate tiebreaker in our formula, having masterminded the Giants defense that stifled the 18-1 Patriots in Super Bowl 42.
—Bill Speros, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mastermind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mastermind
Noun
-
Chaging the Tide Within the exhibit, modernist architects and designers like Adolf Loos, Lilly Reich and Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, emerge as catalysts for change.—
Sofia Celeste,
WWD,
20 Mar. 2025
-
The long, narrow space of approximately 1,000 square feet is designed by architect Bertrand Fairerol, a long-time collaborator with Ulysse Nardin.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Business operations are generally better engineered today than in the 20th century, with more activities automated for quality control, cost savings and efficiency.—
Louis Gritzo,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Part of his path back to power, after all, was engineering the ousting of GOP critics on Capitol Hill like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger and supplanting them with disciples.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Republicans see the price of negotiating with their colleagues across the aisle as too high after Schumer retreated in a fight to avert a government shutdown earlier this month.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Under that agreement, the two sides were supposed to exploit the pause in fighting to negotiate the next stage of the deal, including a permanent cease-fire and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.—
Gershom Gorenberg,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Less than a month into the job, Trump and the Japanese Prime Minister plotted their response to a North Korean missile launch in the open-air patio of Mar a Lago, photos of which ended up on Facebook.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Charity workers had plotted the heights and weights of Daasanach children on World Health Organization charts—the same ones our pediatrician used to monitor my daughter’s growth—and determined that more than two-thirds of the kids were malnourished.—
Manvir Singh,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Cybercriminals can trick authentication systems, approve fraudulent transactions or even manipulate corporate communications.—
Khurram Akhtar,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Some billions of years later, some of that multicellular life figured out how to be reasonably smart and start using tools to manipulate and control its environment.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Fran arranged a private flight for Marcos to Buenos Aires, which was also the same flight Martina was on to meet Fran as well.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
-
The team often arranges these meetings involving Horner, Marko and representatives from both the Thai and Austrian shareholders following the flyaway races in Asia due to the convenience for all parties.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The swivel-steering feature makes this vacuum easier to maneuver than most.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2025
-
The talk show host, who suffers from Graves disease and lymphedema, used a mobility scooter to maneuver through city streets.—
Tracy Wright,
Fox News,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mastermind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mastermind. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share