English pronunciation · Words Starting with M
Machiavellian Pronunciation
Machiavellian is pronounced mah-kyuh-VE-lee-uhn, IPA /ˌmɑkiəˈvɛliən/.
mah-kyuh-VE-lee-uhn
US /ˌmɑkiəˈvɛliən/ · UK /ˌmækiəˈvɛliən/
Syllables: mah · kyuh · VE · lee · uhn (5 syllables, stress on syllable 3)
adjective: Cunning and unscrupulous in the pursuit of power.
Audio for the American and British pronunciations plays on this page with JavaScript enabled.
Two Ways to Say Machiavellian
The pronunciation changes with the meaning or the part of speech. The form above is the most common; the others are:
- the longer reading, with kee-uh spread over two beats: (mah-kee-uh-VE-lee-uhn)
Machiavellian in a Sentence
- The deal was machiavellian in its timing.
- Critics called the appointment machiavellian.
- There is nothing machiavellian about asking for the minutes.
Common Mispronunciations of Machiavellian
Not mah-kyuh-vuh-LEE-uhn
VE in the middle is the loud beat and the lee-uhn behind it drops away. Pushing the beat back turns the word into something like a place name.
Not MA-kyuh-ve-lee-uhn
Neither of the first two beats is stressed; they are only a run of weak vowels before VE arrives.
Tip: Some speakers spread the middle into kee-uh, giving six beats instead of five. Both are standard.
More words starting with m · Every word in the pronunciation guide