Words at Play : Top 10 Unusually Long and Interesting Words, Vol. 1
Definition:
the view that politics is amoral and that any means, however unscrupulous, can
justifiably be used in achieving political power
About the word:
In 1513, Niccolò Machiavelli wrote Il Principe ("The Prince") to advise
and impress the new Florentine ruler, Prince Lorenzo de' Medici. The book's instructions on obtaining and wielding
power e.g., "It is better to be feared than loved" suggest the cynicism that gave its author a place
in the language.