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
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Recent Examples of mastermind
Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Conceptual mastermind or serial con man?
—Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 15 May 2026
Shelly Banjo, semafor.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer has masterminded the charter rewrite, promoting it as a way to make county government more transparent and accountable to the public.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mastermind
Noun
These are two elite teams led by masterminds on opposite sides of the ball in Kyle Shanahan and Mike Macdonald.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Conceptual mastermind or serial con man?
—Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 15 May 2026
Verb
O’Neill masterminded Nike’s pivot away from wholesale, a move that ended badly when retailers started carrying all of Nike’s competitors instead, and oversaw its women’s business, which never matched its men’s line.
—Shelly Banjo, semafor.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer has masterminded the charter rewrite, promoting it as a way to make county government more transparent and accountable to the public.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mastermind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mastermind
Noun
-
Occupying four townhouses, its two-year refurbishment by award-winning architects Holland Harvey and interior designers Studio Est and Studio Mica has created something warm and true to its heritage yet modern, nature-focused and committed to social impact.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 May 2026
-
The same, critics say, applies to Manchester's broader economic achievements, the main architects of which were Richard Leese, Labour leader of Manchester City Council from 1996 to 2021 and the late Howard Bernstein, chief executive of the council from 1998 to 2017.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
These grains haven’t been engineered for shelf life or yield, which is part of the appeal for cooks looking for more flavor, more texture and more variety on the plate.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
-
The reactor is engineered to run on mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel and transuranic (TRU) fuels sourced from existing Department of Energy stockpiles.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
There’s a lot of ways to negotiate.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
-
While Pritzker and state lawmakers have been negotiating on legislation to provide the Bears with property tax breaks for a stadium in Arlington Heights, Johnson has continued to push to keep the Bears in Chicago.—
Elyssa Kaufman,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
In Albany, Jeffries was part of a group of young Black and Latino lawmakers from New York City who played pickup basketball together and plotted legislative strategy over beers at a Bonefish Grill.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
But soon the 50-year-old character actor will be joining the DCU and plotting to conquer and collect the world as Brainiac, the villain of James Gunn’s Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Her husband manipulates her, her best friend hates her, her sister derides her; her entire existence is thin and precarious.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
23 May 2026
-
Plenty of skilled directors can manipulate tension and fear while still poking us toward nervous laughter.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Soon, survey crews showed up, bulldozers were spotted along dusty roads, and the Army Corps of Engineers arranged private meetings.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
The spa There’s no spa, but morning yoga and pilates classes are hosted on the rooftop and the hotel can help arrange in-room massage treatments.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Tencent’s early restraint on AI capital expenditure has left it with significant room to maneuver.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
After being deposited in orbit by a launch vehicle, Winnebago uses its own propulsion to maneuver into the right attitude.—
Ramin Skibba,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mastermind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mastermind. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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