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
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
Fortuna, one of just 18 vessels crafted by the Italian masterminds as part of its Anniversario collection, will give those lucky few the chance to cruise out onto Lago Di Como for around 45 minutes, taking in the Las Vegas sights and the famed Bellagio fountain from a completely new vantage point.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 6 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
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
Fortuna, one of just 18 vessels crafted by the Italian masterminds as part of its Anniversario collection, will give those lucky few the chance to cruise out onto Lago Di Como for around 45 minutes, taking in the Las Vegas sights and the famed Bellagio fountain from a completely new vantage point.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 6 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
-
Those recordings may yet bring accountability to the architects of these anti-democratic policies in Washington.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
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Now the architects of the Alpha platform are pushing beyond proteins into genomics, seeking to decipher how the vast regulatory regions of DNA shape when, where, and how genes are turned on and off.—
Elie Dolgin,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Big Tech now engineers a perpetual state of insecurity by creating relentless technological churn, rendering our skills and safety measures obsolete, only to then sell us the tools to catch up.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For cyclists, the Coastal Bike Trail plots out a route to see the city and the harbor on two wheels.—
Carolyn Heller,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The teacher then plots revenge by secretly staging the most wildly inappropriate musical imaginable to sabotage the principal’s bid for academic glory.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a free online training module about music rights in sports, the ISU recommends skaters use the third-party platform called ClicknClear, which negotiates sports performance licenses for thousands of songs from Sony, Universal, Warner Music and others.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
3 Feb. 2026
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The agreement includes a stopgap measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks, while Congress negotiates new rules and guardrails for federal immigration agents.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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In the next part of the scene, Gabriel maneuvers the plane into a roll, forcing Ethan, who is still clinging to the seatbelt, to slam into the side of the plane.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Throughout the process, the robot simultaneously navigates, avoids obstacles, and manipulates objects without human guidance.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Memory safety issues occur when software accesses or manipulates memory in an unintended way.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The idea of an in-person meeting is suggested, and several years later, Porter arranges it.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 2026
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The program has a booking agency that arranges travel, when needed, and a program consultant meets the player in his city to accompany him.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Masterminds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masterminds. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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