MASTERMIND Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

mastermind 1 of 2

noun

ˈma-stər-ˌmīnd

Definition of mastermind

as in architect

a person who designs and guides a plan or undertaking the real mastermind behind the embezzlement scheme

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mastermind

2 of 2

verb

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

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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

Noun

Prosecutors accused him of being the mastermind of the slaying and of having ordered and paid for it. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 In 2026, the superstar somehow kept up her mastermind games while also putting on a top-secret spectacle of a wedding to Travis Kelce. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2026

Verb

Those meetings included Bolton, Galliano and Anna Wintour, the Vogue editor who masterminds the Met Gala every year. — ABC News, 31 July 2026 Ferrell, who had an alternate offer, then masterminded an exit strategy. — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mastermind

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mastermind

Noun

The backstory In 2021, British entrepreneur Chris Ingham Brooke decided to take his family on a one week trip to Nosara with his longtime friend, architect Ilya Korolev, whose children were around the same age as Chris’s.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
Jac Schaeffer, the architect behind WandaVision and successor series Agatha All Along, intended to spearhead the concluding chapter of her television trilogy — a Vision-centric saga of self-discovery with returning star Paul Bettany.

— Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of architect

Verb

Yup, the bike will be manufactured in China even though it's designed and engineered in its home country, Spain.

— Bultaco, New Atlas, 5 Sep. 2026
These layers were engineered to create electronic energy levels that strengthen interactions between light and matter.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of engineer

Verb

Elsewhere — yes, at goddamn Hamburger Hamlet — another couple is negotiating the terms of their relationship.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
As Wrexham’s two options to lead an attack that invariably features a lone forward playing in front of two No 10s, the duo played an important role last season in helping negotiate the considerable step-up to the Championship.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of negotiate

Verb

During the Hugging Face breach, OpenAI agents autonomously plotted a digital heist that went undetected for more than a week, intensifying concerns OpenAI is sacrificing safety to push the AI frontier.

— Reuters, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
Together, the data suggest a labor market in neither boom nor bust mode — one that is increasingly becoming an afterthought for Federal Reserve officials looking to plot their next monetary policy action.

— Jeff Cox, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of plot

Verb

Trapped-ion computers depend on lasers to manipulate and control ions.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
The company accused Fox News of airing false claims that voting machines were manipulated to help Joe Biden win the 2020 presidential election.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of manipulate

Verb

The case turned into a years-long legal saga, with multiple people convicted of their roles in arranging the hit, including Wendi’s brother, Charlie Adelson, and her mother, Donna.

— Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
Britain’s populist Reform UK said two senior aides to leader Nigel Farage stepped down on Friday after an undercover investigation alleged the party had broken electoral law by arranging for a foreign donor to pay for political polling.

— NBC news, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of arrange

Verb

However, their effectiveness may be limited when targets appear at close range or operate in environments where reaction time and maneuvering space are restricted.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Three more appeared to stop maneuvering after initial attempts to raise their orbits.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of maneuver

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masterly

mastermind

masterminded

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Style

“Mastermind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mastermind. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of mastermind

noun

verb

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