Definition of Mastermind

1. Noun. Someone who creates new things.

Exact synonyms: Conceiver, Originator
Generic synonyms: Creator
Specialized synonyms: Beginner, Father, Founder, Founding Father, Groundbreaker, Innovator, Pioneer, Trailblazer, Mover, Proposer, Proposer, Suggester
Derivative terms: Conceive, Originate

2. Verb. Plan and direct (a complex undertaking). "He masterminded the robbery"

3. Noun. Someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality. "He's smart but he's no Einstein"
Exact synonyms: Brain, Brainiac, Einstein, Genius
Generic synonyms: Intellect, Intellectual
Specialized synonyms: Prodigy
Derivative terms: Brainy

Definition of Mastermind

1. Noun. A person with an extraordinary intellect or skill that is markedly superior to his or her peers. ¹

2. Noun. A person responsible for the highest level of planning and execution of a major operation. ¹

3. Verb. To act in the role of mastermind. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Mastermind

1. [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Lexicographical Neighbors of Mastermind

masterful
masterfull
masterfully
masterfulness
masterfulnesses
masterhood
masteries
mastering
masterings
masterless
masterlike
masterliness
masterlinesses
masterly
masterly inactivity
mastermind (current term)
masterminded
masterminder
masterminders
mastermindful
masterminding
masterminds
masterous
masterpiece
masterpieces
masterplan
masterplans
masterpoint
masterpoints
masters-at-arms

Literary usage of Mastermind

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Germ Warfareby John Lonergan by John Lonergan (2001)
"The man was clearly a patriot, but he was not the mastermind of this project. ... It was the mastermind behind him. " There were not supposed to be any ..."

2. History of England, from the Peace of Utrecht to the Peace of Versailles by Earl Philip Henry Stanhope Stanhope (1858)
"There was wanting in short a mastermind like Chatham's to discover and call forth a mastermind like Wolfe's. On the arrival of his reinforcements General ..."

3. Post Ex Sub Dis: Urban Fragmentations and Constructions by Aaron Betsky, Ghent Urban Studies Team (2002)
"Thus, when Robert Stern, the architectural mastermind behind the interim redevelopment ... After all, he had been hired to serve as architectural mastermind ..."

4. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (1876)
"Any blockhead can cite generalities, but the mastermind discerns the particular cases they represent. " I am less convinced that my society makes amends to ..."

5. The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge (1919)
"... so consistent and straightforward that the book must be considered the work of one mastermind. The general uniformity in style throughout the book leads ..."

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