Meph·is·toph·e·les
ˌme-fə-ˈstä-fə-ˌlēz 
: a chief devil in the Faust legend
Mephistophelian
adjective
or Mephistophelean
Mephis·to·phe·lian
¦mefə̇stə¦fēlyən
¦meˌfis-,
mə̇¦fis-,
me¦fis-,
-ēlēən
variants
or Mephistophelean
"
¦mefə̇ˌstäfə¦lēən
: having a devilish character or aspect : saturnine
looked … slightly Mephistophelian, yet with human and lonely brown eyes—
Times Literary Supplement
Times Literary SupplementExamples of Mephistopheles in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Michael Cox, New York Times, 12 June 2025
But if Roy is Mephistopheles, Jon is a force of light.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025
Inspired by the demon Mephistopheles, Mephisto lords over a dimension in the underworld and is determined to acquire as many souls of the living as possible.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 26 Sep. 2024
Adrian started out as a theology student, but the stakes of Mann’s novel are not, at heart, theological—Adrian has a maddening case of syphilis, and that is the secular portal through which Mephistopheles makes his entry.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
The Kit Kat Club’s master of ceremonies is a kind of Mephistopheles, and also—if an actor really nails it—a sinister mirage of ambiguity.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2024
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Noun
By the end of his playing career, The Guardian newspaper had given him another name: ‘The Irish Mephistopheles’.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 12 June 2025
But if Roy is Mephistopheles, Jon is a force of light.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025
Inspired by the demon Mephistopheles, Mephisto lords over a dimension in the underworld and is determined to acquire as many souls of the living as possible.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 26 Sep. 2024
Adrian started out as a theology student, but the stakes of Mann’s novel are not, at heart, theological—Adrian has a maddening case of syphilis, and that is the secular portal through which Mephistopheles makes his entry.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
The Kit Kat Club’s master of ceremonies is a kind of Mephistopheles, and also—if an actor really nails it—a sinister mirage of ambiguity.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Mephistopheles.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mephistopheles. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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