faustian means of or pertaining to Faust, especially in the sense of being willing to abandon one's principles or values in order to pursue knowledge, wealth or other benefits.
faustian is pronounced /ˈfaʊstɪən/.
Why “faustian” is a great word
Relating to a pact in which one trades spiritual or moral integrity for power, knowledge, or worldly advantage. From the surname of the German alchemist and magician Johann Georg Faust (c. 1466/1480 – c. 1541) + the English suffix -ian (forming relational adjectives). The term derives from the medieval legend, popularized in 16th- and 17th-century literature, in which Faust makes a pact with the Devil. Unlike "utilitarian," which justifies compromise by collective benefit, or "pragmatic," which prizes cold effectiveness, a Faustian bargain exacts the specific, ruinous price of the soul itself. It is the glittering empire bought with a nation's conscience, the blinding insight paid for with lifelong compassion, or the fleeting youth secured by a signature in blood—the tragic recognition that what we gain can never outweigh what we cease to be, and that the bill for forbidden knowledge always comes due.
Etymology
From the surname of the German alchemist and magician Johann Georg Faust (c. 1466 or 1480 – c. 1541) + -ian (suffix forming relational adjectives or nouns). According to medieval legend, Faust made a contract with the Devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Purported tales about Faust’s life first appeared in print in an anonymously written chapbook, Historia von D. Johann Fausten (1587). The story was then particularly popularized by two plays, Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragicall History of D. Faustus (first published 1604) and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust (published 1808 and 1832).
adj
- Of or pertaining to Faust, especially in the sense of being willing to abandon one's principles or values in order to pursue knowledge, wealth or other benefits.e.g.“But along with this growth, there is at the same time developed in his breast, a Faustian conflict between the passion for accumulation, and the desire for enjoyment.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- machiavellian 80% match — Attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods, especially in politics. vs faustian →
- opportunism 79% match — The practice of taking advantage of any situations or people to achieve an end, often with no regard for principles or consequences. vs faustian →
- luciferian 79% match — An adherent of Luciferianism. vs faustian →
- sellout 79% match — An action in which principles are compromised for personal gain. vs faustian →
- immortalist 78% match — One who holds the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. vs faustian →
- transhuman 78% match — More than human; superhuman. vs faustian →
- quixotic 78% match — Resembling or characteristic of the Spanish chivalric hero Don Quixote; possessed with or resulting from the desire to do noble and romantic deeds, without thought of realism and practicality. vs faustian →
- opportunist 78% match — Someone who takes advantage of any opportunity to advance their own situation, placing expediency above principle. vs faustian →