Svengali
noun
Sven·ga·li
sven-ˈgä-lē 
sfen-
: a person who manipulates or exerts excessive control over another
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In George du Maurier's 1894 novel Trilby, a young artist's model named Trilby O'Ferrall falls under the spell of Svengali, a villainous musician and hypnotist. Svengali trains Trilby's voice through hypnosis and transforms her into a singing star, subjugating her completely in the process. Svengali's maleficent powers of persuasion made such an impression on the reading public that by 1919 his name was being used generically as a term for any wickedly manipulative individual.
Examples of Svengali in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The lingering girl-group stereotype of Svengali producers controlling naive singers was not for them.
—
The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
Barrymore’s turn in the lead role is itself a feat of silver-screen mesmerism, portraying Svengali as a cruel yet magnetic figure who wields his own charisma as an instrument of terrible power.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2025
Morvan continued on his own, struggling to shake the stigma of Milli Vanilli, while the Svengali behind the project, Frank Farian, emerged practically unscathed.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 11 Dec. 2024
The Trump-critical drama The Apprentice, starring Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as his ’80s-era Svengali mentor, Roy Cohn, relied on Danish and Irish backing and Ali Abbasi, a Danish-Iranian director, to get made.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
Michael Bennett gave her life story to someone else in A Chorus Line
Maybe the closest Bishop gets to speaking out of school is in her love-hate relationship with Michael Bennett, Svengali of A Chorus Line.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
A lot of times people run off the rails with drugs, or lose their money, or sign up with a Svengali manager who steers them wrong or takes too much of their income.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2024
Braun, once the Svengali of America’s biggest pop stars, now has a Svengali of his own.
—Alex Barasch, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
And Cohen, as the face of the network, has drawn particular scrutiny, portrayed by his detractors in lawsuits and in interviews as a reality TV Svengali who pits women against one another.
—Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
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The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
Barrymore’s turn in the lead role is itself a feat of silver-screen mesmerism, portraying Svengali as a cruel yet magnetic figure who wields his own charisma as an instrument of terrible power.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2025
Morvan continued on his own, struggling to shake the stigma of Milli Vanilli, while the Svengali behind the project, Frank Farian, emerged practically unscathed.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 11 Dec. 2024
The Trump-critical drama The Apprentice, starring Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as his ’80s-era Svengali mentor, Roy Cohn, relied on Danish and Irish backing and Ali Abbasi, a Danish-Iranian director, to get made.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
Michael Bennett gave her life story to someone else in A Chorus Line
Maybe the closest Bishop gets to speaking out of school is in her love-hate relationship with Michael Bennett, Svengali of A Chorus Line.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
A lot of times people run off the rails with drugs, or lose their money, or sign up with a Svengali manager who steers them wrong or takes too much of their income.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2024
Braun, once the Svengali of America’s biggest pop stars, now has a Svengali of his own.
—Alex Barasch, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
And Cohen, as the face of the network, has drawn particular scrutiny, portrayed by his detractors in lawsuits and in interviews as a reality TV Svengali who pits women against one another.
—Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Svengali.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Svengali. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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