as in architects
a person who designs and guides a plan or undertaking
the real mastermind behind the embezzlement scheme
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in engineers
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 masterminds
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 4 Mar. 2026
Bird, one of the masterminds behind the smash hit Gladiators revival for the BBC, is launching EarlyBird while remaining in the Amazon stable by striking a first-look studio deal with the business.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
Schneider hired Macdonald to beat offensive masterminds in the NFC West like San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan and the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Bormann supported extreme antisemitic measures and was one of the masterminds of the Aryanization project.
—Solly Boussidan, FOXNews.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Defensive masterminds like Tony Dungy, Bill Parcells and Mike Tomlin have also led teams to Super Bowls without direct quarterback coaching experience.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Through mentorship circles, masterminds, and deepening relationships with the community, investments can be made in expanding collective wisdom.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Yanick Parent, Guillaume Cartigny, and Mychael Blouin are the masterminds behind the quaint restaurant, creating a boisterous menu of traditional Quebecois foods—usually with a gluttonous upgrade.
—Pamela MacNaughtan, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Nov. 2025
The San Diego crew allegedly kept a small percentage of the funds and sent the rest to the scheme’s masterminds in India and elsewhere.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Nov. 2025
Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
Celebrity stylists have long been the masterminds behind some of the most iconic looks in pop culture.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 4 Mar. 2026
Bird, one of the masterminds behind the smash hit Gladiators revival for the BBC, is launching EarlyBird while remaining in the Amazon stable by striking a first-look studio deal with the business.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
Schneider hired Macdonald to beat offensive masterminds in the NFC West like San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan and the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026
Bormann supported extreme antisemitic measures and was one of the masterminds of the Aryanization project.
—Solly Boussidan, FOXNews.com, 18 Jan. 2026
Defensive masterminds like Tony Dungy, Bill Parcells and Mike Tomlin have also led teams to Super Bowls without direct quarterback coaching experience.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Through mentorship circles, masterminds, and deepening relationships with the community, investments can be made in expanding collective wisdom.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Yanick Parent, Guillaume Cartigny, and Mychael Blouin are the masterminds behind the quaint restaurant, creating a boisterous menu of traditional Quebecois foods—usually with a gluttonous upgrade.
—Pamela MacNaughtan, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Nov. 2025
The San Diego crew allegedly kept a small percentage of the funds and sent the rest to the scheme’s masterminds in India and elsewhere.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
The same studio that produced the Godzilla franchise, Toho, masterminds one of the most horrifying and disturbingly humorous psychedelic films to date.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masterminds
Noun
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Jewish leaders rose through the labor movement, helped found and lead unions, and became architects of the New Deal coalition.—
Jacki Karsh,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 2026
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Preservationists and architects counter that the building remains an important civic landmark and say repairing and modernizing it would protect a signature piece of Dallas architecture while avoiding the disruption and cost of abandoning the site.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tender’s assets Tender CEO Whitney Halberstram (Max Minghella) engineers the downfall of co-founder Jonah Atterbury (Kal Penn) and eventually leaves Henry holding the bag for the company’s fraud.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
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The official alleged that the paper engineers a finding by excluding evidence and designing a study with a bias toward showing no association.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In 1893, Scottish-Canadian author, Robert Barr, wrote a short story about an unhappy married couple that was vacationing in the Swiss Alps when the husband plots to push his wife off of a cliff.—
Mary Beth Skylis,
Outside,
26 Feb. 2026
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Various accusations were leveled against the owners of both groups during the course of the hearing, with two operators of Cesar Rainey Street being implicated in drug trafficking and arson plots separately.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Once a shortlist is established, The PEO Link negotiates terms, presents structured comparisons, and supports implementation.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
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Brown asks the question what if a teacher or a nurse or a sanitation worker doesn't like the contract and benefits the union negotiates on their behalf?—
Jim DeFede,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But at these Olympics, they’ve been seen from above, as a drone operator — a former ski jumper himself — maneuvers a drone behind a skier at the moment of liftoff, high above the ground.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
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Laura is able to shove Cherry hard enough to pry Daniel away from her and lock her in the room, but Cherry jumps out of the balcony, sacrificing her ankle, and maneuvers herself back into the house.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Just like Rodgers did a decade earlier, Prescott manipulates the flat defender (circled in red) and hits CeeDee Lamb in stride just behind the linebacker.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
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Throughout the process, the robot simultaneously navigates, avoids obstacles, and manipulates objects without human guidance.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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While in the country, Harry and Meghan are also planning to visit several on-the-ground initiatives funded by their Archewell Foundation, including one that arranges for children injured in the Gaza war to be medically evacuated for treatment in Jordan.—
Diego Parrado,
Vanity Fair,
25 Feb. 2026
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Once the quartet finally arrives in Tijuana, a wizard-like smuggler arranges their death-defying crossing.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Masterminds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masterminds. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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